Cleveland Malpractice Lawyer for lawsuits against Doctors and Hospitals that cause quadriplegia and paraplegia in infants

Cleveland Malpractice Lawyer explains that doctor or hospital negligence can cause quadriplegia or paraplegia in infants.

Spastic quadriplegia is a form of quadriplegia that affects both arms and legs. Children who had difficulties during birth, such as: premature delivery, hypoxia, head injury, aspiration, or fetal brain brain have a greater risk of developing spastic quadriplegia Children with spastic quadriplegia have spasticity of the arms and legs. Quadriplegia patients have paralysis in their arms and legs.  Patients with Spastic quadriplegia can have parts of the body stiffer than others (for example one leg being tighter than another leg).

What signs and symptoms do children with spastic quadriplegia have?

Children with Spastic quadriplegia have abnormal development of their motor skills. Signs and Symptoms of Spastic quadriplegia are usually evident before the child reaches the age of two. Typical Signs and symptoms of Spastic quadriplegia:

a child who has stiff legs that scissor cross
a child that is unable to control his head,
a child more than a year old who is not able to crawl or stand on their own.

How does a child develop Spastic quadriplegia?

Before birth, brain damage and/or problems with normal brain development are a common cause of Spastic quadriplegic. There are four types of brain damage that can cause spastic quadriplegia (According to the National Institutes of Health).

Damage to the white matter (periventricular leukomalacia) of the brain of the fetus. Inury to the white matter hinders the brain of the fetus to communicate with the rest of the body.
abnormal development of the brain of the fetus (cerebral dysgenesis),
bleeding in the brain of the fetus (intracranial hemorrhage). Fetal strokes, blood clots, or high maternal blood pressure can cause Bleeding in the brain causing spastic quadriplegia.
Fetal brain damage due to lack of oxygen (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy). Lack of oxygen to the brain can also cause injury to various areas of the fetal brain. This lack of oxygen (hypoxia) can be the result of problems with placenta, rupture of the womb, umbilical cord injury, low blood pressure of the mother, or asphyxia during birth.

How to diagnose spastic quadriplegia

As early as a few months old, Spastic quadriplegia can be diagnosed. as the infant demonstrates slowed development (usually a delay in rolling, crawling, sitting, or walking. In some children, signs may not show up until the child is 36 months.

As a child’s muscle tone presents as too stiff or too flaccid, Muscle tone is sometimes used to make the diagnosis for spastic quadriplegia.

Primitive reflexes. Normally these cease when the infant is between six and twelve months of age. When the toddler shows these signs this is an indicator of spastic quadriplegia. Primitive Reflexes include: the rooting reflex, the sucking reflex, and the Moro reflex. ​