Your baby’s well-being is your primary priority, especially if they are born prematurely. This is because the baby requires extra attention and care to help them develop healthy immune systems. Further, their feeding should be closely monitored to ensure they receive the necessary nutrients without overpowering their digestive system. Thus, when a baby formula results in serious medical complications like Necrotizing Enterocolitis(NEC) for your child, you want to seek legal redress as soon as possible. The manufacturing company should be held answerable to any problems arising from administering their formula, as they have a duty of care to produce quality products. With Consumer Alert Now, you can navigate the various steps necessary in seeking compensation from the formula manufacturers.
Understanding What Necrotizing Enterocolitis Entails
Babies born before a full term are classified as premature and are placed under intensive care in hospitals. Medical professionals do this to ensure that the babies receive extra care, as their bodies still need further development. As a result, a prematurely born baby lives in an incubator for a few months to ensure that growth conditions remain optimum.
Failure to administer care may result in multiple medical complications, including Necrotizing Enterocolitis. This is a condition associated with inflamed digestive tracts in babies, particularly among those receiving intensive care after premature birth. Further, Necrotizing Enterocolitis often results in rapid degeneration of the digestive tract tissues, meaning that the baby’s digestive system is compromised.
Typically, digestive tract tissue dies from rapid bacteria spread in the baby’s body. Once the harmful bacteria reproduce in optimum conditions, they will feed on the tissue cells and release toxins in the body. Each case varies depending on how fast the bacteria spread, especially if the bacteria’s entry point is undetected.
You should note that since prematurely born babies are constantly monitored in incubators, there are minimum chances of interacting with bacteria. Thus, most Necrotizing Enterocolitis cases arise from the substances fed to the baby, specifically baby formula.
Severe cases will cause tissue degeneration in the small and large intestines, as well as in the stomach and esophagus. Consequently, feeding the baby becomes difficult, and their development remains stunted for a significant period.
Fatalities may also arise after a severe Necrotizing Enterocolitis condition. This is because once the tissue in the digestive tract dies, body fluids and enzymes in various organs spread to other areas in the body. For example, a human being’s stomach contains hydrochloric acid and strong enzymes that should not interact with tissue outside the stomach. Thus, any contact with surfaces along the abdomen can cause extreme tissue damage or death.
Symptoms of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Among Premature Babies
As a parent or guardian to a newborn, you may be unaware of potential health risks, let alone identifying their symptoms. Nevertheless, you will notice your child’s change in behavior and development when Necrotizing Enterocolitis is spreading in their body.
Identifying the symptoms associated with NEC, therefore, becomes crucial, as it could mean the difference between saving the child’s life and a fatality. Moreover, knowledge of the symptoms will empower you to seek legal action against baby formula manufacturers upon establishing their liability in the matter.
The following are common NEC symptoms to look out for among infants:
- Difficulty feeding the infant
- Low weight gain progress
- Constant diarrhea
- Reduced heart rate
- Pain and swelling along the abdomen
Common Causes of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Among Infants
As mentioned, Necrotizing Enterocolitis develops after bacteria spreads in the digestive system, leading to defective tissue that eventually dies. Various causes of the condition among infants have been studied and proven, including feeding defective formula products. As a result, parents whose children are dealing with Necrotizing Enterocolitis can consult professionals for further guidance. The leading causes of Necrotizing Enterocolitis include:
Harmful Baby Formula Products
The leading cause of NEC in the country stems from feeding infants dangerous formula products. The two identified formula brands whose products resulted in multiple reported Necrotizing Enterocolitis cases are:
- Similac Special Care from Abbott Labs
- NeuroPro EnfaCare Infant Formula and Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier from Mead Johnson
Based on investigations and findings conducted on the formula milk manufacturers, their products included bovine milk, a harmful component for premature babies to consume. The rationale behind this is that bovine milk contains complex compositions for the babies’ tracts to digest, so most of the milk remains in the infant’s tract for hours or days.
Due to this, bacteria can quickly reproduce and thrive in the digestive system, resulting in exposure to Necrotizing Enterocolitis. Consequently, babies who are repeatedly fed milk made with formula from either company are likely to suffer from extreme conditions that may affect them for the rest of their lives.
Low Weight at Birth
While the harmful baby formula administered to the child is the primary cause of Necrotizing Enterocolitis, additional factors like weight can accelerate the condition. Naturally, babies born weighing less than expected are at higher risk of infection because their overall health is relatively weaker.
Due to this, medical professionals will resort to feeding the baby consistently to help them gain weight. However, if they use the defective baby formula milk during the process, the infant is exposed to more harm, as they will quickly manifest signs of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
Thin Mucus Layer in the Alimentary Canal
Furthermore, some infants report signs of NEC, while others may grow without battling the symptoms associated with the condition. This may be because of the thickness of the mucus layer found throughout the alimentary canal in human beings.
Usually, the layer lubricates different digestive organs to allow for a smooth digestive process. Additionally, the layer protects other organs from harsh acids and enzymes found in the stomach by neutralizing them.
Hence, if a baby’s lining is thinner than usual, their stomach acid may burn through stomach tissue, leading to its degeneration. The result is Necrotizing Enterocolitis stemming from exposed and destroyed tissue cells.
Rapid Cell Degeneration With a Low Regeneration Rate
Cells have a limited lifespan in our bodies, meaning that they die off, and new cells are generated throughout our life. The process begins before birth, meaning that a newborn’s body will already change. However, children born prematurely may have their cell generation rates vary depending on their immune systems and whether they are well fed.
Due to this, babies fed using harmful formula products will not only be exposed to harmful bacteria, but their cells will also regenerate at a slower pace. If so, they may experience Necrotizing Enterocolitis at a more severe level, resulting in irreversible damage in some cases.
Seeking Legal Remedies for Necrotizing Enterocolitis Complications
When your infant suffers from NEC arising from defective baby formula products, you want to seek legal redress on their behalf as soon as possible. Doing so will help you recover for all damages caused by the poor manufacturing standards, as well as any future medical costs required for your child.
Although you may want to pursue legal action against Abbott Labs or Mead Johnson, you may be unfamiliar with the procedures, particularly as a first-time claimant. Thus, working with a mass tort lawsuit specialist helps you prepare adequately, and links you to other aggrieved parties.
Upon partnering with a legal expert, they will introduce you to the mass tort lawsuit model, and provide the requirements you need to satisfy before joining the suit. Firstly, you need to be directly aggrieved by the harmful baby formula products to qualify for the mass tort suit.
Hence, the afflicted child must be yours or should be legally under your care. The court will often consider guardians as primary caregivers qualified to sue on the child’s behalf if they provide the required documents.
After establishing that the relationship between you and the affected infant is valid, you will need to source sufficient evidence on the effects that the child suffered after consuming the baby formula. Keep in mind that your arguments must demonstrate a direct correlation between consuming the defective product and the baby developing Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
Therefore, the legal expert guiding you will ask you to provide details on the duration your child was fed products from Abbott Lab or Mead Johnson, and the beginning of medical complications. By supplementing your narrated experience with evidence, you will have sufficient proof to present in your case.
It is noteworthy that mass tort lawsuits require all claimants to seek compensation against a specific liable party. Further, the facts in their case should present similarities, so that the presiding judge issues a uniform verdict if the respondents are found liable.
Therefore, interacting with other parties in the suit is beneficial to help align your facts. When successful, the judge will award a lump sum to affected parties as compensation for the medical complications caused to infants.
Contact a MassTort Lawsuit Expert Near Me
When your baby suffers from the harmful effects of Necrotizing Enterocolitis after consuming formula from Mead Johnson or Abbott Labs, the manufacturers ought to be accountable for the damages. Subsequently, you can consult Consumer Alert Now to understand how to file a lawsuit against the liable parties. Thanks to the wealth of experience among our mass tort lawsuit experts serving nationwide, you can expect to receive quality legal advice. In return, you can begin the legal compensation journey to help you receive monetary compensation on your child’s behalf for the harm caused. For more information on filing a mass tort lawsuit, call us today at 800-511-0747.
