Medical errors
leading to injury occur in a variety of circumstances. Each situation
is unique and must be thoroughly evaluated. Some of the more common
areas are: post surgical infections, nursing negligence, improper drug
prescriptions, misdiagnosis, radiology failures, and failure to refer
to a specialist.
Misdiagnosis
Any injury or condition can be misdiagnosed, however, in order to
present a valid claim the patient must be able to establish the error
caused an injury. Often we see this with failure to diagnose cancer.
A delay in treating any cancer can greatly affect the likelihood of
recovery and long-term survival. Some cancers are more aggressive
and faster growing, in those cases a delay of only a few months can
have a significant impact. The higher the stage of the cancer, the
lower the cure rate. Cancers of more advanced stages have higher recurrence
and mortality rates. In legal terms this is often referred to an increased
risk of harm.
In other cases
there may be an error that does not affect the prognosis. For example,
if a doctor/radiologist failed to recognize a fracture that may be
a mistake. But if it is properly diagnosed 2 weeks later, and no additional
harm was caused then there is no basis for a claim.
Prescription
Errors
If your doctor prescribes the wrong medicine your body can have an
intense adverse reaction. Sometime a doctor will fail to consider
what other medication a patient is taking. If certain drugs are taken
in combination they can cause severe damage, and even death. Or the
medication may be contraindicated, that is the drug will have the
opposite affect from that desired, and make the condition worse.
Birth
Injuries
As high as eighty percent of all childbirths end up in some form of
complication. Many mothers are not aware of the things that can happen
during birth that can permanently disable or even kill their child.
Negligence and mistakes made during delivery are often overlooked.
One common subject of litigation is the childhood disease Cerebral
Palsy. The cause of CP has been connected to accidents during childbirth
that result in brain damage, such as lack of injury or excessive force.
Cerebral Palsy, or CP, is characterized by lack of muscle control
and body movement. For more information about Cerebral Palsy and other
birth injuries, contact a medical malpractice attorney.
Post
Surgical Infections
It is not necessarily negligent to contract an infection during surgery.
However, medical negligence occurs when the doctor fails to make a
timely diagnosis of an infectious process and intervene before severe
damage is done. Chest and abdominal infections are particularly worrisome.
They require careful monitoring of the signs and symptoms of infection
such as temperature, white blood cell count, presence of pus, and
other factors. If these signs and symptoms are present and are not
aggressively worked up, the infection can spread and can lead to a
permanent disability and even death.
Emergency
Room Errors
When a patient is brought into a hospital emergency room, their injuries
are severe and often life-threatening. Emergency room doctors and nurses
are trained to handle these critical situations, and we expect that
they will deliver the highest standard of care. Because of the high
stress environment of the emergency room, medical professionals often
make snap decisions that sometimes prove to be the wrong decisions.
When our loved ones end up on the receiving end of a bad decision or
negligent act, that’s when a medical malpractice attorney steps
in.
