Personal Injury in the News:
Medical Malpractice
The Toledo Blade recently reported a suit by an Ohio resident against a hospital which allegedly failed to diagnose bleeding in the patient’s skull. The allegation is that the undiagnosed condition resulted in stroke and physical disability.
A common type of medical malpractice case is the “failure to diagnose,” or the “failure to monitor” case. The pattern is that illnesses have various abnormal presenting signs which need to be considered through a process of differential diagnosis to determine and treat the cause. The medical professionals are supposed to be acquainted with the various abnormal signs and develop a differential diagnosis of what the cause possibly is and then perform tests to rule them in or out. A missed diagnosis is a very serious matter, and can result in serious injury or death.
As an example, consider the condition of ectopic pregnancy. In years past, Guy Vining represnted several victims of this conditions. An ectopic pregnancy is the development of a fetus outside of the uterus, usually into a fallopian tube. The warning signs include swelling and extreme pain in the patient. The risk is extreme, too, because if the fetus is not timely removed, the falliopian tube may rupture leading to the patient’s death by bleeding. The practitioners therefore must have a high index of suspicion for ectopic pregnancy when presented with a young woman and these symptoms. Appropriate care would include taking a history of sexual activity, last menses, ordering a pregnancy test and an ultrasound.
As earlier mentioned, if the diagnosis is not made, the rupture can lead to loss of the fallopian tube or even death. If you or a loved one have suffered the loss of a fallopian tube or another serious personal injury because of the failure to make a medical diagnosis, you may have have a compensible loss. Be sure to promptly get advice from a qualified attorney in regard to your personal injury.
[Guy Vining practices personal injury law from his Metro-Detroit office in Taylor, Michigan. He has represented clients in personal injury actions for over 25 years in such areas as: car, boat, motorcycle, and truck accidents; slip, trip, and falls including black ice and defective design; medical and dental malpractice, denial of insurance benefits for wages, medical and home assistance to automobile accident victims.]