Medical Malpractice Involving Failure to Diagnose

 Posted on July 02, 2013 in Hospital Malpractice

Unfortunately, some of the most common medical malpractice lawsuits involve a doctor of hospital’s failure to diagnose a patient properly. When a patient seeks medical help, he or she trusts that their doctor or hospital will perform the necessary steps to diagnose what is causing their symptoms ultimately provide the proper treatment.

A missed or wrong diagnosis can lead a patient down the wrong treatment plan, or without any treatment plan at all. A missed diagnosis or a failure to diagnose occurs when a doctor or hospital does not diagnose a medical condition in a timely matter. Failing to properly diagnose a patient prevents doctors and medical staff from providing the proper treatment, which often can lead to further injury or sometimes even death.

Such was the situation in a recent case study involving a twenty-nine-year-old patient who delivered a child by cesarean section. One month after her delivery, the mother went to the hospital complaining of a painful migraine, blurred vision, nausea, and vomiting. The results from her CT scan were interpreted as normal, and the patient was discharged from the hospital with no medication or treatment provided. Two days later, she returned to the hospital with slurred speech, drooling and weakness in her upper and lower limbs. An additional CT scan was ordered immediately, which revealed an intracranial hemorrhage. Ultimately, she died of an intraparenchymal hemorrhage in her left cerebral hemisphere.

This case illustrates the serious risks involved if a doctor fails to diagnose the symptoms of a stroke. The faster a stroke is detected, the sooner treatment can begin and the better the chances the patient will have a full recovery. When a medical professional misdiagnoses a medical condition or fails to diagnose a medical condition and a patient ends up seriously injured as a result, the patient may have a medical malpractice case. Our medical malpractice attorneys have successfully represented victims of misdiagnoses and missed diagnoses and have the experience and resources needed to handle these complex matters.