Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

Syracuse medical malpractice lawyer Anthony S. Bottar, managing partner of Bottar Leone, PLLC, one of Upstate New York's oldest law firms with a practice limited to medical malpractice, wrongful death, birth injuries, work injuries, brain injuries, and product/premises liability, was elected president of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, an organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system.

The New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers boasts a membership of more than 1400 judges, law clerks, law firms, lawyers, paralegals and law students, including: Syracuse medical malpractice lawyers handling cases concerning stroke misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose cancer and failure to prevent a heart attack; Syracuse work injury lawyers handling cases concerning construction site accidents, scaffolding accidents and injuries caused by a fall from a height; Syracuse birth injury lawyers handling cases concerning fetal hypoxia and ischemia, cerebral palsy and Erb's palsy; Utica brain injury lawyers handling cases concerning concussions, post-concussion symdrome and TBI; Watertown medical malpractice lawyers handling cases concerning Samaritan Medical Center negligence and Fort Drum physician mistakes; and Watertown injury lawyers handling New York State Thruway accidents.

Every time a baby is born in an upstate New York hospital, such as Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, New York, Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare in Utica, New York, Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, New York, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, New York, Oswego Hospital in Oswego, New York, or Auburn Hospital in Auburn, New York, the baby's birth weight is recorded. That data is made available to researchers who study trends in newborn birth weights.

A recent Harvard study reports that newborn birth weights are down in the United States by about 1.8 ounces. Average birth weights now hover around 7 pounds 6 ounces. The decline in baby weight is a positive development as larger babies are at greater risk for birth injuries and birth trauma, such as a shoulder dystocia because a baby's body is too big for the birth canal or where a baby sustains brain damage from a lack of oxygen that leads to cerebral palsy. Macrosomic babies, including large babies because of a failure to diagnose gestational diabetes, are also at greater risk for diabetes and obesity later in life.

Continue reading "Lower Birth Weight Babies Reported By Harvard Study" »

The Irish High Court ruled that a mother was rendered incontinent due to ob/gyn medical malpractice arising out of the birth of her child. According to reports, the woman sustained internal and external sphincter muscle tears due to forcep use and vacuum use during labor. While double instrumentation was employed to facilitate the delivery, significantly increasing the risk of injury to the mother and baby, the internal sphincter muscle injury went undiagnosed. In turn, the woman was left with incontinent.

Continue reading "Failure To Diagnose Birth Trauma To Sphincter Leaves Mother Incontinent" »

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication affecting 10% of women. It is marked by high blood pressure and proteinuria (protein in the urine). Symptoms usually emerge in the 20th week of pregnancy, and include: headaches, hand and foot swelling (edema), excessive weight gain and, in extreme cases, blindness.

Preeclampsia must be timely diagnosed, because if left undiagnosed it can develop into eclampsia. Eclampsia can cause seizures, brain damage and death (for mother and child). Worldwide, preeclampsia is responsible for 500,000 infant deaths and 76,000 maternal deaths every year.

According to a recent study conducted by scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institute of Health, there may be a connection between maternal plasma concentrations and the risk for developing preeclampsia. The relationship between maternal plasma and preeclampsia should lead to a decrease in medical malpractice due to the late diagnosis of preeclampsia, as doctors will be able to screen for a patient's predisposition to develop the dangerous condition.

Continue reading "Failure To Diagnose Preeclampsia Decreases Through Use Of Biomarkers" »