Protecting Newborns from Negligent Post-Delivery Care in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula & Wisconsin
A newborn’s first days should be a time of healing and bonding, not medical crisis. Yet many infants suffer permanent brain injury because doctors and hospitals fail to recognize simple warning signs such as elevated bilirubin, infection, or respiratory distress. These tragedies are preventable—and when they occur, Petrucelli & Petrucelli holds hospitals accountable.
What Is Kernicterus?
Kernicterus is a form of brain damage caused by excessive levels of bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced when red blood cells break down. When bilirubin builds up in the bloodstream and crosses into brain tissue, it can destroy neurons, leading to:
- Hearing loss or auditory-processing disorders
- Visual impairment or eye-movement problems
- Motor dysfunction and muscle rigidity
- Developmental delay and cerebral palsy
Jaundice—the yellowing of an infant’s skin and eyes—is the earliest sign of bilirubin buildup. It is easily diagnosed and treated with phototherapy or, in severe cases, exchange transfusion. When these interventions are delayed, the result can be catastrophic and lifelong.
How Medical Negligence Causes Kernicterus
Our investigations reveal recurring failures across hospital nurseries and pediatric units:
- Failure to screen bilirubin levels within 24 hours of birth
- Discharge without follow-up instructions despite visible jaundice
- Ignoring lab results showing dangerous bilirubin escalation
- Inadequate phototherapy or failure to initiate exchange transfusion
- Poor communication between pediatricians, nurses, and on-call physicians
Each of these lapses violates national newborn-care guidelines and constitutes a breach of the standard of care.
Other Preventable Neonatal Conditions We Litigate
1. Neonatal Infections & Sepsis
Group B Streptococcus, meningitis, and other infections can spread rapidly in newborns. When hospitals fail to test mothers for GBS or delay antibiotics after signs of infection, infants can suffer brain injury or death.
2. Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar)
Infants of diabetic or large-for-gestational-age mothers require careful glucose monitoring. Unchecked hypoglycemia deprives the brain of energy and can cause seizures and permanent neurological deficits.
3. Respiratory Distress & Hypoxia
Failure to recognize rapid breathing, low oxygen saturation, or meconium aspiration can lead to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and multi-organ injury.
4. Medication & IV Errors in the NICU
Incorrect dosing of antibiotics, glucose, or electrolytes can damage fragile newborn systems. Hospitals must have double-check protocols; when they don’t, they are liable.
How Petrucelli & Petrucelli Proves Responsibility
- Comprehensive Chart Review – We secure neonatal records, bilirubin graphs, lab reports, and nursing notes.
- Expert Collaboration – Pediatric neurologists, neonatologists, and infectious-disease experts pinpoint when intervention should have occurred.
- Causation Timeline – We align bilirubin readings and clinical symptoms to the hour, proving exactly when negligence began.
- Demonstrating Lifelong Impact – Life-care planners quantify decades of therapy, assistive technology, and educational support required for the child’s well-being.
Real Justice for Preventable Harm
Kernicterus and similar neonatal injuries are avoidable with basic vigilance. When hospitals fail the most vulnerable patients, Vincent Petrucelli—a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers® honoree since 2007, and lead counsel in Ferdon v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund—brings nearly 50 years of experience to demand accountability and secure the resources families need. Contact Vincent Petrucelli today at (906) 265-6173 or vincent@truthfinders.com.
Petrucelli & Petrucelli — Fighting for Justice Across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin
