Paxil Birth Defects

Birth Defects Connected to Paxil Use While Pregnant

Birth Defects can occur in newborns for any number of reasons and in many forms. Birth Defects, or “congenital defects,” can affect an infant’s heart, lungs, intestines, major extremities, and facial features. The causes of Birth Defects are varied, and many causes for defects remain a mystery. Typically, they are caused by genetic factors or environmental ones. Fetal exposure to tobacco, alcohol, radiation, illegal drugs, legal prescription drugs, and other toxic chemicals can severely deform or damage the developing fetus during crucial moments of gestation. The first trimester, specifically, is a critical time during which the substances a mother ingests directly affect fetal development.

Paxil

Though it is difficult to connect one specific cause to any of the Birth Defects, the anti-depressant drug Paxil has been linked to several Birth Defects of the heart, intestines, and facial development. Birth Defects such as Atrial Septal Defect, Gastroschisis, and Cleft Lip and Palate are included in the long list of Birth Defects for which the Food and Drug Administration has blamed manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. Paxil Birth Defects lawsuits are currently settling, with many settlements reaching seven figures. Though no monetary compensation can completely repair the emotional and psychological damage of Birth Defects, mothers who took Paxil during pregnancy should contact attorneys about filing a Paxil Birth Defects lawsuit today.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is the failure of parts of the left heart to develop in the womb. This rare defect results from the underdevelopment of the left ventricle, the valves protecting the entrance and exit of the same ventricle, and blood vessels which pump oxygenated blood out of the left ventricle and to the rest of the body. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is a form of congenital heart disease that is extremely life threatening. If the left side of the heart is unable to pump oxygenated blood to the body, the right side must work twice as hard to compensate for the defect. This stress and pressure on the right side of the heart will inevitably lead to heart failure and death.

Newborn patients with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome require multiple surgeries. Symptoms appear within a few hours after birth to a few days after birth, and include rapid breathing, lethargy, enlarged liver, cyanosis (blue skin), cold arms and legs, poor feeding, and in the most tragic cases, sudden death. Surgery is required immediately upon the appearance of these symptoms and continues in several stages until the age of three. In many severe cases, additional heart surgeries are required as late as age twenty.

This rare congenital heart disease has been linked to use of the drug Paxil during pregnancy. Parents of children born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome should consult with an attorney regarding a potential lawsuit.

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Life Expectancy

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome life expectancy is somewhat unknown. Prior to the 1980s, the corrective heart surgery for infants born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome was limited to two surgical stages: one performed just a few days after birth, and the second when the child was four to six months old. At the time, children did not survive very long after the second surgery. However, a third stage surgery was developed in the 1980s that has thus far proved to be successful in drastically extending the Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome life expectancy. The first recipients of this surgery are still alive and in their twenties.

While the Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome life expectancy will not be known until the first generations of stage three surgery patients pass away, there are improvements being made in the quality of care patients with HLHS can receive. At the same time, discoveries are being made about potential causes of HLHS. One possible cause can be linked to pregnant women who used the prescription drug Paxil while gestating. Mothers who took Paxil during pregnancy whose children suffered HLHS should consult an attorney about a potential law suit against the makers of Paxil. Looking forward, research about prevention methods and new medical advances may increase the Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome life expectancy.

Paxil Attorney

Each Paxil Attorney at The Stenger Law Firm, LLC is dedicated to helping families of children who currently suffer or have suffered from any of the above mentioned injuries or death due to Paxil. Our Paxil Attorneys can provide a free case evaluation to potentially file a Paxil Defects Lawsuit. Call The Stenger Law Firm, LLC at (888) 665-0077 for a free case evaluation.

Please provide as much information as possible about your case. If you do not provide adequate case information, including injuries or damages sustained it may take us longer to process your inquiry.

There is no charge for this Paxil evaluation.