Facial Paralysis and Bell’s Palsy

Learn more about how an Ohio birth injury lawyer can help your family

Some of the most common birth injuries sustained by infants are Bell’s Palsy and other types of facial paralysis. Whether it’s only for a few minutes after an infant’s birth or a permanent injury, facial paralysis in newborn children is a serious birth injury that requires immediate medical attention.

Worst of all, Bell’s Palsy and other forms of facial paralysis can occur due to negligence by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals responsible for caring for the mother and the baby during the woman’s pregnancy and the child’s delivery.

When this happens, parents need to take steps right away to hold medical professionals accountable for their actions. That’s why it’s critical that you contact The Lancione Law Firm near Cleveland right away.

Ohio birth injury attorney John A. Lancione has a well-earned national reputation for handling such complex legal cases throughout the country. Our law firm only handles cases involving birth injuries and medical negligence. As a result, we thoroughly understand the rules and regulations that apply to such cases. We also know which strategies can be the most effective for successfully resolving such claims. We’re the law firm you want when it matters most.

What is Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s Palsy is a type of facial paralysis in which an individual cannot move one side of their face. Bell’s Palsy is caused by damage to the facial nerve, which is also known as the 7th cranial nerve. People with Bell’s Palsy often experience extreme pain on one side of their head.

Sometimes, Bell’s Palsy only lasts for a short period of time (often 48 hours). But other times, Bell’s Palsy can be permanent, resulting in future facial paralysis episodes.

Other types of infant facial paralysis

There are five common types of facial paralysis. The five different kinds of facial paralysis include:

Congenital facial paralysis – This is a type of facial paralysis present at birth (congenital). An example of this type of facility paralysis includes Moebius syndrome, in which the nerves in the face are underdeveloped and can affect an infant’s facial expressions and eye movements.
Idiopathic facial paralysis – A type of facial paralysis in which the individual suddenly experiences paralysis on one side of their face. Bell’s palsy is an example of this common type of facial paralysis.
Inflammatory facial paralysis – This type of facial paralysis usually occurs due to infections, which can include bacterial infections, mumps and mononucleosis.
Neoplastic facial paralysis – This type of facial paralysis often involves tumors in the parotid gland, the salivary glands located on either side of the face in front of the ear.
Traumatic facial paralysis – This type of facial paralysis occurs due to an object penetrating the face and other forms of blunt trauma damaging the nerves or muscles in the face.

Whatever type of facial paralysis injury you’re dealing with in your infant, make sure your child receives the medical care they deserve to properly diagnose and treat what’s wrong. Your child’s health should always be your first priority. That’s why we want to help you with everything else.

Why do these injuries happen?

Many infant facial paralysis injuries occur due to medical negligence. In particular, many doctors fail to take into account maternal risk factors (health risks women face during pregnancy and the baby’s delivery, which can affect the fetus as well) and fetal risk factors (health risks to the fetus during pregnancy or delivery).

Bell’s Palsy, for example, is often thought to be caused by viral infections or inflammation caused by the body’s immune system. But what parents might not realize is Bell’s Palsy can often be prevented if doctors take into account risk factors often associated with this medical condition. Specifically, women with diabetes or high blood pressure may be more likely to have a baby with Bell’s Palsy and doctor should take preventative measures to address such medical issues.

In addition, infants are sometimes born with Bell’s Palsy or other types of facial paralysis due to other preventable medical conditions, including:

Trauma during the baby’s delivery.
Oxygen deprivation, especially lack of oxygen during the pregnancy or delivery.
Fetal infections or maternal infections during the pregnancy or delivery.

Many (though not all) causes of facial paralysis are preventable. That’s one of the reasons you need an attorney to get to the bottom of what happened.

Whatever the cause of your infant’s facial paralysis, don’t simply take your doctor’s word that they didn’t do anything wrong. Get a second opinion. Talk to Ohio birth injury attorney John A. Lancione.

We understand what you’re going through. Contact us. We can help

When you have our dedicated legal team on your side, you can ask the questions that deserve to be answered. Such questions include:

Did medical professionals make mistakes that resulted in my child’s facial paralysis?
Did doctors run all the necessary medical tests designed to prevent such injuries?
If not, why were these tests not administered or given too late?

Birth injury claims involving infant facial paralysis can be complicated. Our approach is straightforward. We work tirelessly to gather as much evidence in support of your injury claim. We also never lose sight of what matters most – your best interests. As a result, if you ever have a question about your case at any time, you can call attorney Lancione directly on his personal cellphone.

Discover what our Ohio law firm can do for you. Contact us and schedule a free consultation at our Rocky River, Ohio law firm today. You can reach us online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to speak with Cleveland birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione.