Perinatal Asphyxia (Birth Asphyxia)
From an article entitled, "The Pediatric Neurologist as Expert Witness with Particular Reference to Perinatal Asphyxia," Michael I. Shevell, M.D., published in The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, May 2001
"The situation ...
in which a pediatric neurologist is most likely to be requested to act as an expert is that of a child whose impairment and resulting disabilities and handicaps are the result of an alleged perinatal asphyxia secondary to obstetrical management. Within this setting, the expertise of a pediatric neurologist is focused on the following four main issues:
- Causation and precise determination of etiology—is asphyxia the root cause for the child's observed disabilities?
- The timing of the asphyxia—is it antenatal, perinatal (i.e., intrapartum) or postnatal in origin?
- The precise description of the child's disabilities and handicaps.
- The estimated life expectancy of the child/plaintiff."
