Expert Witness Blog
Neurology expert witness Michael I. Shevell, M.D writes in “The Pediatric Neurologist as Expert Witness with Particular Reference to Perinatal Asphyxia,”
The situation in which a pediatric neurologist is most likely to be requested to act as an expert is that of a child whose impairment and resulting disabilities and handicaps are the result of an alleged perinatal asphyxia secondary to obstetrical management. Within this setting, the expertise of a pediatric neurologist is focused on the following four main issues:
1. Causation and precise determination of etiology-is asphyxia the root cause for the child’s observed disabilities?
2. The timing of the asphyxia-is it antenatal, perinatal (i.e., intrapartum) or postnatal in origin?
3. The precise description of the child’s disabilities and handicaps.
4. The estimated life expectancy of the child/plaintiff.”