What causes neonatal asphyxia?
Neonatal asphyxia causes usually involve birth complications that prevent a baby from getting enough oxygen before, during, or shortly after they are born.
Without adequate oxygen, a newborn’s delicate organs — especially the brain — can suffer lasting damage. Immediate medical attention is critical to reduce the risk of serious complications.
Some birth injuries linked to oxygen loss are unavoidable, but neonatal asphyxia causes often involve doctors and other medical providers who fail to uphold the standard of care during a complicated birth.
Neonatal asphyxia causes may involve:
- Blocked or underdeveloped airways in the baby
- Early placental separation or poor placental function
- High or low maternal blood pressure
- Infections in the mother that interfere with oxygen flow
- Meconium (baby’s first feces) in the amniotic fluid
- Prolonged or difficult labor
- Umbilical cord problems
If medical negligence caused your baby to suffer oxygen loss at birth, financial assistance may be available through a birth injury lawsuit.
Some birth injury lawsuits result in multimillion-dollar payouts, helping families cover medical care, therapy, and other lifelong expenses.
We partner with birth injury attorneys nationwide who have secured over $1 billion for families.
Find out if we can help your family, too. Get a free case review right now.
Birth injuries linked to neonatal asphyxia
Neonatal asphyxia can lead to serious birth injuries, especially when medical providers fail to act quickly during labor and delivery. Oxygen deprivation may cause permanent damage to the brain and other organs.
- Brain damage, which can affect motor skills, cognition, and development
- Cerebral palsy (CP), a group of movement disorders usually caused by brain injury during or shortly after birth
- Fetal stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), resulting from reduced or blocked blood flow in the brain
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow
- Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), when a baby inhales meconium-stained fluid that can block the airway and worsen oxygen loss
- Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a type of white matter brain injury often linked to oxygen deprivation in premature infants
These conditions may be preventable with proper medical care. When doctors fail to monitor fetal distress, delay necessary interventions, or miss signs of complications, families may have legal options.
Neonatal asphyxia causes: Signs that may follow oxygen loss
Babies who suffer neonatal asphyxia often show signs of oxygen loss at birth. Quick recognition and treatment are essential to reduce the risk of long-term harm.
- Abnormal skin color, such as pale, gray, or bluish
- Low heart rate, also called bradycardia
- Meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF), which can be a sign of fetal stress
- Poor muscle tone, with the baby appearing limp or floppy
- Profound metabolic acidosis (baby’s blood is too acidic due to oxygen loss)
- Respiratory distress, including gasping or difficulty breathing
- Seizures, which may begin shortly after birth
- Weak or absent breathing and reflexes
If your child had unexplained complications, they may be tied to neonatal asphyxia causes that occurred around the time of birth.
In some cases, families may not realize their baby suffered lasting damage until developmental delays or other challenges appear as the child grows.
If you have questions about whether your baby could have suffered lasting harm, our labor and delivery nurses are here to help.
Connect with one of our registered nurses now — there’s never any cost to talk with our team.
Neonatal asphyxia causes: What puts a baby at risk?
Certain pregnancy and delivery complications can increase the risk of oxygen loss at birth. When providers miss or ignore these warning signs, a baby may suffer preventable harm.
Here are 10 key risk factors linked to neonatal asphyxia causes:
- Abnormal fetal heart rate, which may signal distress and reduced oxygen flow
- Airway obstruction or malformation in the baby, which can interfere with breathing after birth
- Anemia in the fetus, lowering the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
- First-time pregnancy and birth (primigravida), which may increase the risk of prolonged labor
- High or low maternal age, often linked to pregnancy complications
- Infections in the mother or baby, which may damage the placenta or reduce oxygen delivery
- Large birth weight, potentially leading to a longer or more difficult delivery
- Low oxygen levels in the mother’s blood, often due to respiratory or cardiac issues or complications from anesthesia
- Multiple births, such as twins or triplets, increasing the risk of premature delivery and delivery complications
- Preeclampsia, dangerously high blood pressure in the mother during pregnancy, which may reduce blood flow to the baby
Health care providers are trained to watch for these issues and act fast. When they don’t, families may be left facing a lifetime of complications that could have been avoided.
Medical malpractice and neonatal asphyxia causes
Some neonatal asphyxia causes are linked to medical malpractice, especially when doctors fail to recognize or respond to signs of fetal distress during labor and delivery.
- Delaying a necessary C-section when signs of fetal distress are present
- Failing to detect umbilical cord problems, like compression or prolapse
- Ignoring maternal infections that could affect oxygen flow
- Mishandling meconium aspiration syndrome
- Mismanaging high or low maternal blood pressure
- Misusing delivery tools, like forceps or vacuum extractors
- Overlooking signs of problems with the placenta
When these or other mistakes cause a baby to lose oxygen, the resulting injuries can be severe and lifelong. In these cases, families may have grounds for a birth injury lawsuit.
If medical errors harmed your baby, you may have legal options to seek justice and financial support.
Get a free case review right now.
Diagnosing neonatal asphyxia
Doctors use several tools to diagnose neonatal asphyxia and assess how the oxygen loss may have affected the baby’s body and brain. Early diagnosis is critical to begin immediate treatment and prevent long-term complications.
- Apgar score assessments: In the first minutes after birth, doctors evaluate the baby’s color, pulse, grimace response, muscle tone, and breathing effort. A low Apgar score — especially between 0 and 3 at 5 minutes — can be an early sign of asphyxia.
- Clinical signs at birth: Symptoms like bluish or pale skin, weak muscle tone, irregular or absent breathing, or lack of reflexes may signal oxygen deprivation.
- Blood tests: Umbilical cord blood is tested to check for metabolic acidosis, which means the baby’s blood is too acidic. A pH below 7.00 may indicate severe asphyxia.
- Brain imaging: Doctors may use cranial ultrasounds, MRI, or CT scans to check for signs of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen. These tests help determine the extent and location of the damage.
- Other monitoring: Low blood pressure, abnormal chest X-ray, poor oxygen saturation levels, and abnormal neurological responses may also support a diagnosis.
Prompt and accurate diagnosis can guide critical care decisions, including whether to begin therapeutic hypothermia or other supportive treatments after neonatal asphyxia causes have occurred.
Treatment options for neonatal asphyxia
Treatment for neonatal asphyxia depends on how long the baby was without oxygen and the severity of damage to their organs. Prompt medical intervention can help reduce the risk of long-term damage.
- Oxygen therapy: Supplemental oxygen may be given to stabilize breathing and support vital organs.
- Therapeutic hypothermia: Also called cooling therapy, this involves lowering the baby’s body temperature for about 72 hours to help protect the brain. It is typically used for full-term or near-term infants showing signs of moderate to severe asphyxia.
- Mechanical ventilation: A breathing machine may be used if the baby is unable to breathe effectively on their own.
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO): This advanced life support system acts as a temporary heart and lung machine for babies with severe respiratory or cardiac failure.
- Dialysis: If the kidneys are not functioning properly due to oxygen loss, dialysis may be used to help remove waste and balance fluids.
Each baby’s treatment plan is tailored to their condition. In many cases, early intervention can make a significant difference in long-term outcomes.
Long-term complications of neonatal asphyxia causes
The effects of neonatal asphyxia depend on how long the baby was without oxygen, how low oxygen levels dropped, how quickly treatment was given, and which areas of the brain were affected.
Mild cases may resolve without lasting harm, but more severe cases can lead to permanent injuries.
Neonatal asphyxia may cause long-term complications, including:
- Breathing problems, including chronic lung conditions
- Developmental delays, affecting milestones like walking and speaking
- Emotional and behavioral challenges like impulse control or anxiety
- Feeding difficulties and nutritional issues
- Intellectual disabilities or learning challenges
- Mental health conditions, such as depression or mood disorders
- Vision impairments, including partial or total blindness
The impact of these complications can vary widely. Early diagnosis and ongoing support may help improve outcomes, but some children will need lifelong care.
Legal options for neonatal asphyxia birth injuries
A preventable birth injury like neonatal asphyxia shouldn’t leave your family facing a lifetime of medical costs alone. If a doctor’s actions — or failure to act — led to your child’s oxygen loss at birth, you may have the right to pursue compensation.
Financial support from a birth injury lawsuit can help cover hospital stays, therapy, assistive equipment, and long-term care. It can also give your family greater stability as you plan for the future.
Cerebral Palsy Guide partners with top lawyers and law firms who can help families in all 50 states. Together, they have recovered over $1 billion for families affected by preventable birth injuries.
Call our trained patient advocates at (855) 220-1101 or get a free case review right now to find out your legal options.
