Tinley Park Meconium Aspiration Attorneys

Personal Injury Lawyers For MAS Birth Injury Cases

While most occurrences of meconium aspiration (also called meconium aspiration syndrome, or MAS) are not serious, infants severely impacted can develop significant health problems.

Infant meconium aspiration can result from cases of hypoxia and fetal stress. A full investigation by Schwartz Injury Law attorneys can help determine if your child's MAS complications were connected to medical error.

What Causes Meconium Aspiration?

MAS may happen before, during or after childbirth when an infant breathes in a mix of meconium (a baby's initial feces, typically passed early in pregnancy) and amniotic fluid in which the baby floats inside the amniotic sac. This may lead to lung tissue irritation, a reduction in lung expansion, airway blockage or infection. Severity can increase if the mother experiences uterine infections or carries the child longer than 40 weeks. The more meconium inhaled, the more serious the situation for the baby.

Womb problems, umbilical cord issues, and other labor difficulties can cause MAS. A distressed infant might develop hypoxia that causes increased intestinal activity that in turn, forces meconium into the amniotic fluid. A baby who inhales the mixture can develop MAS.

Before or after birth, a physician should notice possible MAS symptoms in a child such as:

• Low heart rate prior to birth.
• Body limpness.
• Long nails or other signs of an overdue baby.
• Blue or green skin discoloration.
• Meconium or dark green streaks in amniotic fluid.
• Rapid, labored or suspended breathing.

Schwartz Injury Law can assess whether your doctor properly checked for all possible MAS symptoms to immediately begin any necessary treatment.

Meconium Aspiration Treatment

If a doctor believes a baby has inhaled meconium, treatment can begin during delivery, with the insertion of a laryngoscope into the baby's trachea for meconium removal. They can check the infant's lungs for breathing difficulties, and a blood test and X-ray can help diagnose any concerns.

If a child displays good vital signs, the medical staff can watch for meconium aspiration symptoms like quick breathing, grunting and bluish skin discoloration that might develop in the first 24 hours after birth. For inactive babies who breathed meconium, a doctor will try to clear the airway with an endotracheal tube.

Infants with MAS might be sent to a neonatal intensive care unit for oxygen therapy, antibiotics or more extensive treatment. Newborns with severe MAS who require mechanical ventilation may face an increased risk for bronchopulmonary dysphasia, collapsed lung and aspiration pneumonia, all treatable conditions.

While MAS deaths are rare, the most severely impacted babies could develop chronic lung disease, hearing loss or other abnormalities. If you intend to file a birth injury claim, you must do so within eight years of your child’s injury, and before their 22nd birthday.

Schwartz Injury Law will pursue maximum compensation if any of these procedures were not followed as needed. Our birth injury settlements and verdicts include awards of $8 million, $7.5 million and $6 million for our clients.

Contact an Oak Lawn Birth Injury Attorney

If you believe your child developed health problems due to incorrect medical procedures related to meconium aspiration, let our Orland Park law personal injury firm help you know for sure. Call 708-888-2160 for a free consultation. We serve clients throughout the area, including but not limited to Tinley Park, Oak Lawn, Mokena, Homer Glen, and Chicago Heights.