Heart Failure in Infants
Summary
This article discusses heart failure in infants. It lists the possible causes as well as the symptoms of heart failure. It talks about how the physician is able to misdiagnose heart failure leaving a child untreated for the correct problem.
Heart Failure in Infants
The heart is the most vital organ in our bodies, pumping and circulating blood throughout your body, it is constantly nourishing our bodies with nutrients and oxygen. For an infant, their tiny hearts need to be healthy and strong in order to ensure that they live a healthy and normal life. However in many cases children are born with heart problems and have many different causes that are responsible and many different outcomes depending on the severity. In severe cases the infant dies shortly after birth, or in early adolescents. Unfortunately, heart failure in infants is often misdiagnosed or even completely missed by doctors. Since babies are fragile, this can be extremely traumatic for the families because having an infant with heart failure requires a lifetime of care and the child will have a complete lifestyle change. In the Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale and Phoenix area there are many parents who are faced with the reality that their child has heart failure. Even the slightest amount of neglect in doctor’s diagnosis and your baby’s life can be in danger. If you suspect that your physician neglected to diagnosis your child accurately, then contacting a Phoenix personal injury lawyer is your best option for compensation.
There are many different causes as to why infants are diagnosed with heart failure. Some examples of the causes include:
Causes of Heart Failure
- Some babies are born with other connections between the two arteries leaving the heart, and these babies risk having too much blood flow into the lungs.
- Damage to the heart muscle
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Pump failure – this can occur when there’s a virus infection that affects an otherwise normal heart.
- Too rapid of a heart beat
There are a variety of ways that physicians are able to determine whether or not your infant has heart failure. Due to either carelessness or neglect, these symptoms are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Some examples of the types of symptoms your infant can show include:
Symptoms in Infants
- Trouble breathing
- Poor feeding
- Slower growth and development
- Excessive sweating
- Low blood pressure
When these types of symptoms are displayed on your child, your physician should immediately run a chest x-ray and be referred to a pediatric heart specialist. If there is a delay because your physician is treating your infant for something else, the consequences can be devastating.
There are a variety of medical treatments your baby may need when they are diagnosed with heart failure. In most cases they will need some type of surgical procedure, hospitalization, medications, or a variety of medical devices to help your child’s heart function normally.
Contact a Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyer
When you find out that you have a sick child, you may not know the right course of action to take. Having a baby with heart failure can be overwhelming for parents. The emotional and financial toll can be unexpected and sudden. If you feel that your doctor may have neglected appropriately diagnosing your child you may be entitled for compensation. A Phoenix personal injury attorney can handle this very sensitive and complex situation quickly so you and your family can receive care for your child in need. For more information: www.solomonrelihan.com
