The human brain requires a lot of oxygen to function. A lack of oxygen to the brain can cause swift and severe brain damage within minutes. Brain injuries can happen in a variety of ways, including falls, motor vehicle accidents, or even carbon monoxide poisoning.
When a brain injury occurs because of a preventable error by an Iowa doctor or medical provider, it is considered medical malpractice.
What Causes Brain Injury Malpractice?
Medical negligence that leads to a brain injury can occur in a variety of different ways. These include:
- Too much or too little anesthesia supplied to the patient during or after a surgery or procedure
- Improperly placing a breathing tube
- A delay in labor or delivery, leading to cerebral palsy or another brain injury in a newborn
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of an aneurysm, heart attack, or stroke
A lack of oxygen – also known as hypoxia – to the brain is a common factor in most of these injuries. Brain damage caused by medical negligence is usually the result of hypoxia instead of a traumatic brain injury, where someone is injured by a blow to the head. However, this reduced oxygen flow can be as harmful as a TBI and should be treated as such.
Symptoms of a Hypoxic Brain Injury
Symptoms of brain injury due to hypoxia include:
- Lack of coordination or movement disorders
- Learning disabilities
- Memory loss
- Difficulty with speech
- Changes in personality
If you or a loved one is showing symptoms of brain damage and believe it was due to a doctor’s error, you need to speak with an Iowa medical malpractice attorney.
How an Iowa Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help With Your Case
Proving that a doctor made a preventable medical error is difficult. Someone has to say that the cause of the brain injury was directly related to the mistake the doctor made. According to Iowa law, only another doctor with the same knowledge and experience as the one who made the mistake can say malpractice occurred.
These medical experts are necessary for any medical malpractice case, but they’re hard to find and expensive to hire. An experienced Iowa malpractice lawyer has built relationships with experts over their career and will use them to effectively analyze your case.
Additionally, an Iowa medical malpractice lawyer can assemble the medical records this expert needs by contacting your medical providers on your behalf. Your medical records are essential for any medical expert to properly review your case. An attorney will collect and organize your medical records and send them to the expert for their analysis.
If you would like to learn more about serious injuries after a medical error, call us at 1-319-774-1783 and request your free copy of the Law Guide to Iowa Medical Malpractice Claims.
