Heart Birth Defect Lawsuit: PPHN, Pulmonary Stenosis, Coartation of the Aorta

Life, it's precious and ever so more precious when it's your baby and your baby suffers from a heart birth defect.

Why me? Mothers of babies who suffer heart birth defects must not blame themselves. Studies are finding that as more women of child-bearing age take antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Symbyax, Celexa, Lexapro, and Effexor—more babies are born with heart birth defects. Is there a relationship between the two?

What are some heart birth defects?

—PPHN / persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn
PPHN is a life-threatening disorder in which the newborn's arteries to the lungs remain constricted after delivery, limiting the amount of blood flow to the lungs and therefore the amount of oxygen into the bloodstream.

SSRIs brands that affect PPHN include Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Symbyax, and Zoloft.

In recently published New England Journal of Medicine study, infants born to mothers who took SSRIs after the 20th week of pregnancy were six times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during pregnancy. The background risk of a woman giving birth to an infant affected by PPHN in the general population is estimated to be about 1 to 2 infants per 1,000 live births.

—Pulmonary valve stenosis
Another congenital heart defect, pulmonary valve stenosis, is a fixed obstruction of flow from the right ventricle of the heart to the pulmonary artery and is initially diagnosed in childhood. If severe, babies may turn blue.

The pulmonary valve can be treated to improve the obstruction and leak, but the valve won't be made normal. Treatment is needed when the pressure in the right ventricle is great (even if there are no symptoms). The obstruction can usually be relieved during cardiac catheterization by balloon valvuloplasty. A catheter containing a balloon is placed across the pulmonary valve. The balloon is inflated for a short time to stretch open the valve.

—Coarctation of the aorta
When an infant is born with coarctation of the aorta, he or she is born with an abnormally narrow aorta. The narrowing causes abnormal blood flow and a decrease in blood flow to the lower part of the body. Aortic coarctation can be a life-threatening congenital defect if left untreated.

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Having a baby with a heart birth defect compromises his or her quality of life as well as putting undue stress on family life and wondering how you can ever pay all the medical expenses. There is so much to cope with. Please inquire with Monheit Law to find out what your legal options are regarding a recovery for a heart birth defect lawsuit.