Birth Injuries e-Resource

ACE INHIBITORS AND BIRTH DEFECTS

The following is from an article i read recently. Numerous studies have shown that ACE inhibitors can have adverse effects on the developing fetus, and for years, experts have said they should not be prescribed to pregnant women.

The most recent study documenting their harm to the fetus was conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University, and published in the June 8, 2006, New England Journal of Medicine. The study found that fetal exposure to ACE inhibitors in the first trimester of pregnancy nearly tripled the risk of serious birth defects.

Caesarean risks hard to pin down

Caesarean risks

Meeting stirs debate over rocketing rate of C-sections.

Pregnancy & Childbirth | NIH Panel Says Insufficient Data Available To Weigh Benefits, Risks of Elective C-Section

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Current available evidence comparing the risks and benefits of elective caesarean sections with vaginal deliveries is not sufficient to recommend one procedure over the other, according to an NIH draft report released on Wednesday, the Washington Post reports (Stein, Washington Post, 3/30).

Mechanical Forces Injury

Injuries to the infant resulting from mechanical forces (ie, compression, traction) during the process of birth are categorized as birth trauma. Factors responsible for mechanical injury may coexist with hypoxic-ischemic insult; one may predispose the infant to the other. Lesions that are predominantly hypoxic in origin are not discussed in this article. Significant birth injury accounts for fewer than 2% of neonatal deaths and stillbirths in the United States; it still occurs with an average of 6-8 injuries per 1000 live births. In general, larger infants are more susceptible to birth trauma.

Video Means A Chance To Be A 'Regular Kid'

Like thousands of other American youngsters, 9-year-old Colton McGrath struggles with speech problems and other disabilities of cerebral palsy.

Unlike the rest, Colton is talking about what it's like - in his own video.

With the help of a classmate and his mom, Kerrianne McGrath, he has produced a 15-minute, question-and-answer-style video in which he describes his condition and how it affects his everyday activities.

Malpractice forum produces options

Key players in Washington's 4-year-old battle over medical malpractice insurance offered up a few new -- or slightly freshened up -- solutions Tuesday to keep doctors at work and patients safe.

Top ideas:

Obstetrical Malpractice

More often than not, having a baby is a time of great anticipation, high hopes, and joy for the parents and their families. It also represents a period during which many women, in the course of their prenatal care, experience their first long-term contact with a physician, midwife, or nurse practitioner. Because pregnancy is a normal physiological process, most women progress through their prenatal course with expectations that everything will be absolutely normal, and that the infant will be healthy.