Issues for Defense Experts Regarding Infection as a Cause of Brain Damage

Cases that involve victims of brain damage can be very challenging, emotional and complicated. I believe to be successful in court, attorneys must be aware of any potential challenges he/she may face. A specific example of this is using infection as a cause of brain damage. 

Was there a fever before the brain damage was realized? Have you analyzed the mother’s screen? Was chorioamnionitis confirmed before the birth of the victim? These are just some of the questions to answer prior to building a case of brain damage caused by infection. 

Here is a checklist:

1.        Culture Results
2.        Respiratory Course
3.        Question of Meningitis 
                       a.    CSF
                       b.    Amount of days on antibiotics
4.      Mother’s screen
5.      Amount of time before a membrane rupture
6.      Fever
7.      Chorioamnionitis 
8.      Culture from ET tube
9.      Rash
10.    Jaundice
11.    Microcephaly
12.    Intercranial Calcifications at birth
13.    Hearing loss
14.    Asymmetrical growth
15.    Retardation
16.    Igg, Igm
17.    Time of year
18.    Diagnosis entertained 
19.    Placental pathology
                      a.  Infection in the placenta defined? 
                      b. Chronic villitis
20.    Alternative to explain injury