Ran Zhuang and her husband Zhiru Guo settled with their former doctors, nurse practitioner, and genetic counselor for 7 million dollars. The chinese couple’s medical malpractice attorneys brought the lawsuit as a result of their three year old child’s mental and physical disabilities which were the result of a birth defect. The young girl, Annie Guo, suffers from cri-du-chat (also referred to as cat cry syndrome). Frederic N. Halstrom (the plaintiff’s attorney), and many other medical malpractice attorneys in similar cases, look to bring justice to a family who faces many challenges in the years to come.
Chromosomal Abnormality was not properly Detected
Through a diagnostic process called amniocentesis, Annie Guo’s chromosomal abnormality should have been recognized. Had the abnormality been defined, the parents of the child would have been able to reflect and make a decision for their best interests in the future. The mother was not given adequate prenatal genetic counseling during her pregnancy which should be provided to all pregnant women. Had the proper tests been completed and performed properly, the parents would have been told about the potential dangers and hardships that would face the young child throughout her entire life. Armed with this information, the parents would have been in a better position to decide whether or not to terminate the pregnancy before birth, a protected liberty available to pregnant women in this country. Since the dangers were not properly recognized, the seven million dollar settlement will go towards the treatment and care of the young girl who will likely need constant medical attention for life. Medical malpractice lawyers are faced with an important challenge in these types of cases because all expectant mothers deserve to have full knowledge of their child’s health so that they can make informed decisions in everyone’s best interest.
Medical Malpractice Attorneys in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you have recently given birth to a child who suffers from birth defects which you believe can be attributed to medical malpractice, it is likely that you have some questions. Please contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation, or call for a free consultation at 856-833-0600 in New Jersey, or 215-567-2380 in Philadelphia.
The medical malpractice attorneys at the Mininno Law Office are dedicated to earning victims of medical negligence the compensation they need and deserve.
If you believe that your child’s cleft lip/cleft palate may have been affected by your use of the Topamax drug, you probably have questions about what resources and remedies are available to you and what they will cost. Children who are born with a cleft lip/palate have a number of difficulties that will confront them in their lives. However, it is surgically possible to begin remedying the issue within the first two to three months after birth. In many cases, when surgery is undertaken, there can be a full and complete recovery. 
According to the 
Behavioral differences include excessive fussiness, extended periods of crying, refusal to sleep lying down, or too much or too little sleep. Another common indicator of brain damage is developmental delays. There are typical milestones that are generally expected of young children at specific stages of their life. For instance, there is a general age when most infants begin crawling, rolling over, uttering their first word, and so forth. A child with brain damage may have difficulty reaching these milestones at the typical age. Other symptoms can include body temperature, skin color, breathing patterns, seizures, and other similar indicators.
If your baby is born with a birth defect, it is natural to be confused and scared. Some birth defects we have control over, and others happen naturally. Cleft palate birth defects are those that can be caused internally or externally. It has been recently discovered that the drug Topamax, an anti-convulsant used to treat seizures and migraines, can cause 
Children born with cleft lips or cleft palates often face many challenges while growing up. Development is changed drastically, and learning to eat and speak becomes harder than ever. While surgeries are indeed available to correct craniofacial birth defects, these surgeries can be overwhelmingly expensive for some families, leaving parents and child forced to cope with these oral malformations. 
The foundation operates the CLEFTLINE, a toll free 800 number that provides information to callers about facial clefts and other oral malformations. Callers will also be provided with information regarding cleft palate support groups in their regions. 
SmileTrain is a charity that provides oral cleft repair surgery for only $250 to poor families. They do this through funding from benefactors, and through donations from civilians like you and I. In addition to providing parents with the opportunity to afford the procedure, SmileTrain also trains doctors in over 75 countries to perform craniofacial surgeries on children. 
Brain damage can be categorized in one of two ways – acquired and traumatic. Acquired brain injuries are those that do not result from external forces. For example, a stroke would cause an acquired brain injury because no outside forces are the cause. Depending on the site of the lesions ( a lesion is any area of tissue or organ that has suffered damage) and severity of the stroke, the brain damage can affect the victim in different ways. Traumatic brain injury is damage that is caused by external forces. A motor vehicle accident, known as MVA to medical professionals, is often the cause of traumatic brain injuries. 
Topamax is associated with a few side effects and risks, some more dangerous than others. The most common side effect associated with the drug is numbness and tingling (parasthesia) in arms and legs. Other side effects include fatigue, change in tastes, weight loss, difficulty focusing, short term/non-severe loss of memory, nausea, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. No side effects seem to be long-term or life threatening. 
Two weeks ago, we posted a