As reported by Michigan Live, the parents of a now 2 ½ year-old girl are suing a hospital, due to brain damage the child sustained after an air bubble allegedly made its way into an intravenous line and resulted in her brain damage.
The day following E.G.'s birth she was back in the hospital, on a ventilator in intensive care, with all four of her hands and feet colored black and blue.
The cause of the change in E.G.'s health is believed to have been an air bubble in an intravenous line.
The suit names Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, along with Spectrum Health, its parent company, as responsible.
Norm Pylman, the attorney for E.G.'s parents, said, "This is not a simple injury. It's a terrible lifelong struggle for this little girl and for her family. We want to be certain at the end of the day that she will be taken care of for the rest of her life."
Pylman said that Spectrum has acknowledged its responsibility in a written response to the complaint.
E.G.'s mother, R.G., said that she waited two years to file the lawsuit as she wanted the problem fixed without going to court. R.G. said, "It's unfortunate that it had to come to that. We really believed they were going to do the right thing and resolve it without having to go public and have a lawsuit. They know they are wrong, and they are responsible for (E.G.)."
A statement from Spectrum Health read, "Patient safety is the top priority of Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. We have provided significant support to the (G.) family to provide for (E.G.'s) care..."
R.G., along with husband T.G., stated that though Spectrum has offered the family some financial assistance, it was been varied and every change has to be approved by the Spectrum's insurance company.
T.G., "It was kind of like going to your dad and asking for allowance all the time."
E.G.'s story began with her birth on February 26, 2010. Though the pregnancy and Cesarean delivery were uncomplicated, within a few hours R.G. noticed signs of jaundice in her newborn.
R.G. was not alarmed, at first, at her daughter's symptoms as all three of her children suffered with jaundice at birth and it was most likely to do with the incompatible blood types that R.G and T.G. have.
However, in the process of treating E.G.'s jaundice with a transfusion, she suffered a cardiac arrest and required 40 minutes of resuscitation. E.G.'s doctor admitted that though they believed that all of the air was out of the lines during the transfusion, based on the results, they surmised that air did get in.
CT scans confirmed that E.G. suffered severe brain damage.
Once back at home E.G. has required a feeding tube, medication, breathing treatments and physical therapy.
A life care plan was made but months accrued without a final decision from Spectrum and R.G. felt that a lawsuit would help to "get things moving".
A child's birth defect, and knowing that it was preventable, is cause for a medical malpractice claim. If you, or a family member, has suffered while under the care of a physician or medical facility, click here to locate a medical malpractice attorney near you.