Kernicterus & Jaundice Attorneys

Kernicterus & Newborn Jaundice

Raleigh Birth Injury Lawyers Serving North Carolina Since 1993

Jaundice, the yellowing of skin caused by a build-up of bilirubin in the blood, is a condition affecting upwards of 60 to 80 percent of newborns. Though the condition is common and typically resolves on its own, excessive jaundice which goes untreated can pose risks of serious and preventable birth injuries – including a form of brain damage known as Kernicterus.

If your child has been diagnosed with Kernicterus, it is possible neurological damage could and should have been prevented if not for the negligence of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who handled your delivery and cared for your newborn. Determining whether medical negligence is to blame and holding responsible parties liable, however, requires in-depth investigations and the help of experienced birth injury lawyers.

Why Edwards Kirby?

• Record-Setting Birth Injury Results – Our firm has secured the largest medical malpractice verdict in North Carolina, as well as the largest birth injury settlement in state history.
• Proven Legal team – Our nationally recognized trial attorneys are led by two of the nation’s most respected litigators, former U.S. Senator John Edwards and David Kirby.
• Passionate Advocacy – We’re passionate about helping children and families secure the justice and compensation they need for healthier, happier, and more stable futures.
• Serving North Carolina – Edwards Kirby has earned a reputation as leaders in birth injury litigation, having recovered over $500 million in compensation for clients across the state.

Call (919) 780-5400 to discuss your potential case and rights with a birth injury attorney. Edwards Kirby offers FREE consultations, and works cases on contingency fees – there’s no fee unless we win.

What is Kernicterus?

Kernicterus is a rare form of brain damage which can affect newborns with severe jaundice. It occurs when levels of bilirubin in the blood spread through the body. Without proper and timely medical intervention, high levels of bilirubin can damage the brain, cause bilirubin encephalopathy, and progress to kernicterus – which can cause profound and permanent impairments, neurological dysfunction and devastating consequences for victims and families.

Babies with Kernicterus, as well as their families, can suffer far-reaching repercussions, including:

• Problems with movement and muscle stiffness
• Developmental delays and learning disabilities
• Cerebral palsy (athetoid CP)
• Substantial medical expenses
• Hearing loss and vision problems
• The need for assistive care
• Lost income and earning potential
• Mental anguish and emotional suffering
• Poor feeding, fatigue, high-pitched crying, and seizures

How Doctors Can Prevent Kernicterus

While each case remains distinct, medical providers bear the responsibility to address jaundice in newborns. Given its common occurrence, established standards and protocols exist to effectively manage jaundice, aiming to avert its progression to Kernicterus, brain damage, and other associated harms. Seeking guidance from a Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney can be pivotal in such cases. 
Generally, this includes:

• Identifying risks for jaundice complications (i.e. risk factors, including but not limited to race, previous birth with a child with jaundice, darker skin, and premature birth).
• Monitoring newborns for jaundice.
• Testing bilirubin levels before leaving the hospital, and ordering additional blood tests or initiating specific treatments if bilirubin levels are too high.
• Identifying symptoms of jaundice, both after delivery and in first days after birth (i.e. changes in skin tone which begins in the face or eyes, difficulties sleeping or waking up, feeding / sucking problems, extreme fussiness, less wet or dirty diapers than average).
• Responding timely when jaundice is severe or progressing (i.e. when there are sings of lethargy, arching of the body, high-pitched crying, stiffness or limpness of the body, unusual eye movements, loss of certain reflexes, muscle spasms, etc).
• Timely treatment (i.e. increasing fluids or feeding, using phototherapy or fiber optic blankets, and performing blood transfusions, plasmapheresis and treatment for related infections).