Neonatal Encephalopathy: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Neonatal encephalopathy is a general medical term that means an infant’s brain is not functioning properly. Quite literally, neonatal means “newborn,” and encephalopathy means something wrong with the brain. Neonatal encephalopathy impacts both the central nervous system and the brain, so it affects how an infant moves and reacts to the world around them. Newborns who have neonatal encephalopathy often have trouble moving their legs or arms. They may be unusually tired and fail to respond to stimuli the way other children would. 

Is Neonatal Encephalopathy Common?

Neonatal encephalopathy is documented as occurring in roughly three out of every 1000 live births. However, researchers have stated that the real estimate is somewhere between every two and nine live births because other terms, such as birth asphyxia, are also used to describe NE. 

What Causes Neonatal Encephalopathy?

Birth asphyxia is the most common cause of neonatal encephalopathy. Birth asphyxia is a medical term that refers to the result of a baby’s brain not getting enough oxygen during gestation or birth. 

Other common causes of NE are:

• Stroke
• Infection
• Brain bleeds
• A metabolic or genetic disorder
• Congenital brain malformations
• Encephalitis with meningitis (meningoencephalitis)

NE can also be caused by medical negligence. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is actually the most frequent birth injury claim. 

Birth injury cases centering around brain injuries usually yield large settlements. This is due to the fact that babies with serious brain damage typically require costly, ongoing medical care and lifelong treatment.

Parents of babies born with NE can file a suit for the cost of medical treatments and other related damages with the aid of a neonatal encephalopathy or birth injury attorney. These lawyers have specific knowledge and training that help them handle lawsuits dealing with neonatal encephalopathy and other serious birth injuries. 

Are Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy and Neonatal Encephalopathy the Same Thing?

Many physicians use NE and HIE interchangeably, but no, they are not really the same thing. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a distinct form of encephalopathy. It is caused by a lack of oxygen, medically referred to as hypoxia, and decreased blood flow, medically referred to as ischemia, to the infant’s brain near the time of or during birth.

Neonatal encephalopathy is a broad term that encompasses all cases of encephalopathy caused by factors besides a lack of oxygen. Neonatal encephalopathy may be:

• Metabolic: These cases are caused by disturbances or abnormal chemical reactions in the body’s metabolic processes
• Septic: Septic cases are the result of infections
• Thromboembolic: Thromboembolic cases are associated with blood clots
• Genetic: These cases are passed down through the bloodline

What Are the Symptoms of Neonatal Encephalopathy?

The symptoms of NE will vary depending on the severity of the case. Some of the most common symptoms include:

• Abnormal muscle tone (too floppy or too stiff)
• Irregular breathing or difficulty breathing 
• Twitching movements or seizures
• Excessive sleepiness or lethargy
• Poor sucking and feeding reflexes
• No or very weak reflexes
• Irregular eye movements
• Abnormal crying patterns or very high-pitched crying  
• Altered state or responsiveness or level of consciousness 
• Missing or delayed developmental milestones
• Apnea (breathing stops for more than 20 seconds)

No two cases of neonatal encephalopathy are exactly the same, and the symptoms are not always immediately obvious. There is, however, one undeniable symptom of NE that physicians cannot miss, and that is seizures. Seizures are the most common symptom of NE, but they do not present like the kind of seizures a person with epilepsy may have or the kind you see in medical dramas on television where a person shakes violently and uncontrollably. A baby with NE seizures stares into space or slightly twitches their legs and arms. 

What is the Prognosis for a Baby with Neonatal Encephalopathy?

Neonatal encephalopathy is a medical condition where each second counts. If a doctor is able to identify the signs and diagnose the condition immediately, the infant has a significantly increased chance of not experiencing any permanent brain damage.

Conversely, serious cases of NE have permanent, unavoidable impacts. Severe brain damage cannot be undone, but immediate and proper treatment can reduce the symptoms.  

What Treatments Are Recommended for Neonatal Encephalopathy?

Your doctor will devise a treatment plan that is tailored to your baby’s unique needs. Common treatments for neonatal encephalopathy usually include: 

• Observation and monitoring
• Therapeutic hypothermia (cooling therapy)
• Seizure medicine
• Breathing support (machines or oxygen masks)
• Feeding support 
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy

The objective of these treatments is not to reverse the damage to the brain. That just isn’t possible. They can, however, effectively prevent additional brain damage from occurring and improve a baby’s overall brain function. 

Medical Malpractice and Neonatal Encephalopathy  

When new parents are given a diagnosis of NE, they are almost certainly wondering what went wrong. It is possible that somewhere along the way, a member of the birthing team was negligent, and that negligence was the cause of the neonatal encephalopathy.  

Some of the ways in which medical negligence can lead to NE are:  

• Failing to notice symptoms that signify the infant is not receiving enough oxygen
• The birth team failed to respond properly or at all to indications of fetal distress during labor
• The doctor misdiagnosed a metabolic disorder or infection that led to NE
• The birthing team failed to provide prompt resuscitation to a baby who needed it
• A surgical error occurred during a C-section that injured the infant’s brain
• An infection was left untreated during pregnancy  
• The medical team administered an improper medication or an improper dose of medication

Proving medical negligence as the immediate cause of NE can be challenging. It demands a comprehensive investigation by medical and legal professionals. If you suspect medical negligence was the cause of your baby’s neonatal encephalopathy, it is paramount you consult with a qualified attorney, specifically one who specializes in these types of birth injuries. 

An experienced birth injury attorney will have the resources to investigate the situation and can accurately determine the cause of the neonatal encephalopathy. If medical negligence occurred, you and a Dallas birth injury attorney from Rasansky Law Firm can seek financial compensation by way of a medical malpractice suit.  We offer a free initial consultation to all prospective clients and can advise you on the best way to move forward with your birth injury case. Call us at (214) 651-6100 to schedule your free consultation.