A Technological “Miracle” for Premature Babies?

Premature infants are not uncommon. These babies often face extreme struggles simply to survive. Once they are healthy enough, their risk of injury, sickness, or fatality declines dramatically, but they still may face other health conditions that can affect them throughout their lives. It’s important, while they are at their most vulnerable, that they receive the best care that there is to offer to give them the best shot in the future.

That best shot may be in the form of robots, of all things. A recent article from The Guardian talks about “telemedicine robots,” which are being used by British doctors to help protect premature infants. “The device, which sits on a mobile frame, has cameras, a screen and even a stethoscope, and can also link to MRI scanners and thermal-imaging cameras. It allows a consultant watching from elsewhere to view a patients’ medical records on the spot.”

The technology is just beginning to be used, but the results are exciting. The doctors found that they could do their job better with the devices instead of being there in person. It allowed them to see the baby more clearly and fully because there were no people around to block the view of their patient.

The doctors who have access to these devices are fighting to have them put into more hospitals. Liverpool Neonatal Partnership’s clinical director, Dr. Chris Dewhurst explains that, “[w]e now need to find the funding so that babies who were born in other hospitals who need immediate intervention can have an neonatologist there immediately, within minutes, rather than them not being there at all, because they’re 40 to 50 miles away.”

Not only do these devices have the potential to help thousands of infants, but it can help the hospitals themselves as well. Per Dr. Jennifer Fang, the medical director for the Mayo Clinic’s teleneonatology program, has the data to support this point. Before the program was implemented, she said, the Mayo Clinic was named in a birth injury lawsuit every eight or nine months. But “now that our program’s in place, we haven’t had a single birth-injury case for the last eight years.”

Eight years. Not only is that extraordinary in and of itself, but it’s especially interesting because Mayo Clinic is repeatedly ranked the best hospital in the country – except for its work with children. There, the hospital fares in the top third. What this shows is that even exceptional hospitals have areas for improvement, and this particular system appears to be working.

What risks do premature infants face?

Premature birth can open a baby to countless health risks, both immediately and in the future. According to the March of Dimes, prematurity can lead to conditions like:

• Apnea of prematurity
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• Respiratory distress syndrome
• Infections or neonatal sepsis
• Intraventricular hemorrhage
• Newborn jaundice
• Necrotizing enterocolitis
• Patent ductus arteriosus (heart condition)
• Retinopathy of prematurity (vision problems)

Additional conditions may include:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Impaired learning
• Hearing problems
• Dental problems
• Severe acid reflux
• Floppy vocal cords
• Behavioral and psychological problems
• Chronic health issues

That’s a lot to worry about, and it’s a significant financial burden to undertake in order to help a child with these conditions – especially if they could be prevented.

So, what can you do if you have had a premature infant and you think it was caused by the medical professionals who were there to assist you? Birth injury lawsuits can help you pay for the treatment your child will need. A successful lawsuit can help you pay for:

• Medical costs (including past and future expenses)
• Adaptive equipment and home modifications
• Emotional damages (such as pain, suffering, or loss of companionship)
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Other healthcare related expenses

We really hope this new device can make a difference for parents and babies alike and give them their best chance at a great life. But if an act of medical negligence does harm your child, you have options. Contact Rocky McElhaney Law Firm at 615-425-2500 or fill out the contact form, and schedule an appointment at one of our offices in Nashville, Hendersonville, or Clarksville. We can help you get the money you deserve for the treatment, pain, and suffering you and your child have undergone.