Duke University Medical Center is researching the use of cord blood cells to lessen the symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy in children.
The study will involve children aged between one and six years whose parents have banked their child’s own cord at birth. Doctors will intravenously infuse the participants with their own cord blood to study the positive effects – if any – the infusions have on cerebral palsy symptoms.
Cerebral palsy is a complex condition that affects as many as 1 in 300 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 90 percent of children with cerebral palsy have the spastic form, which occurs when there is brain damage to the outer layer of the infant’s brain.
Sadly, spastic cerebral palsy is often the result of negligent or insufficient medical care during pregnancy. The condition also commonly results from birthing complications, when the infant suffers hypoxia and physicians don’t act with enough urgency to deliver the child.
If your child suffers from cerebral palsy, you have a right to know what caused his or her medical condition. Contact an experienced cerebral palsy attorney to investigate your child’s situation and explore your legal options.
McKeen & Associates is a nationally regarded birth injury law firm based in Detroit, Michigan. The lawyers at McKeen & Associates have a long history of providing legal help to children and families dealing with a cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Source: Duke Translational Medicine Institute, “Cerebral Palsy Autologous Cord Blood Study”
