Emergency C-Sections & HIE

Emergency C-Sections and What They Can Tell You About Preventable Birth Injuries Like HIE or Cerebral Palsy

When labor isn’t going as planned, doctors may perform an emergency cesarean section (C section) to protect the baby. While C-sections can be lifesaving, the need for one—especially if it happens under pressure—can signal that something went wrong during labor.

In some cases, a delayed or mishandled C-section leads to a birth injury, including Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) or Cerebral Palsy (CP). Understanding what caused the C-section is essential to determining whether your child’s injury was preventable.

What Does the APGAR Score Measure?

Doctors may perform an emergency C-section when:

  • Labor fails to progress and becomes prolonged
  • Grimace (reflexes)
  • There are complications like placental abruption or umbilical cord prolapse
  • There is uterine rupture or severe bleeding

In these cases, a “decision-to-incision” window of 30 minutes is the accepted medical
standard. This means the baby should be delivered within 30 minutes of deciding an emergency
C-section is needed. If the doctor or staff failed to deliver within the 30-minute window, it may be
medical negligence.

What Happens If They Wait Too Long?

If a baby’s APGAR scores remain low and signs of brain injury are present, doctors may begin Therapeutic Hypothermia (Cooling Therapy). This treatment involves cooling the baby’s body temperature to around 92°F for 72 hours. It helps reduce further brain damage caused by oxygen loss during delivery.

Delays may be caused by:

  • Misreading fetal monitoring strips
  • Understaffing
  • Poor communication between medical providers
  • Failing to act on known complications

What This Could Mean for You

If your child was delivered via emergency C-section and later diagnosed with HIE or CP, you may never have been told why the C-section was necessary, or if the care team acted fast enough.

You have the right to ask:

  • Was this avoidable?
  • Were signs of distress ignored?
  • Could my child’s injury have been prevented?

If your child experienced any of the above, uncover the truth through a Free Case Review Call.
Our team will review your medical records for free. If negligence is found, our team will file and
work to recover compensation for your family. There is never an upfront cost to you. Our team
only gets paid if we recover money for you.

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