Negligence Cases in the News
Personal Injury — Malpractice
In a recent blog we discussed that a common theme in medical malpractice cases is failure to diagnose leading to a significant injury or death. As pointed out, a serious and common gynecological problem which sometimes goes undiagnosed is ectopic pregnancy. When timely to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy can be resolved by a salpingostomy. This is a surgery to remove the fetus from the falliopian tube before it grows so large as to cause a rupture. A ruptured falliopian tube can cause death through internal bleeding and or diminished fertility. Medical literature relates that a pregnancy in the falliopian tube is a true medical emergency and that every attempt should be made to remove the fetus before the tube is damaged.
The doctor or emergency room staff must maintain a high degree of suspicion for ectopic pregnancy in young, sexually active, women who are presenting signs of pain, cramps, bleeding, nausea, and dizziness. These warning sign in conjunction with a detailed history may suggest an abnormal pregnancy. In that case, the pregnancy can be confirmed by simple blood or urine tests. If confirmed, an immediate referral to an OBGYN specialist is called for, as well as an ultrasound, to see if there is, in fact, an abnormal pregnancy.
Ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy) although a true medical emergency, if properly handled, can be successfully treated.
[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.]