Medical Malpractice Injuries

Medical malpractice injuries caused by the negligence of a doctor, hospital or other health care provider can have life-long effects on a victim and the victim's family. Medical malpractice injuries often go beyond the mere scope of a physical wound and can include brain damage, the wrong treatment or misdiagnosis of cancer, cerebral palsy, and the death of a patient. Legal actions can be brought by the injured patient, or the patient's family, against any responsible licensed health care professional - including doctors, counselors, psychologists and psychotherapists. For further information, contact a medical malpractice attorney who specializes in this area of law.

Death

A medical malpractice death occurs when a person is killed due to the negligence or misconduct of a licensed medical practitioner. In order to bring a successful medical malpractice death cause of action, the following elements must be present:

• The death of a human being caused by a medical professional's negligent or intentional misconduct.
• The survival of family members who are suffering the loss of financial support, love, care, comfort, supervision, guidance, household assistance and general society previously provided by the deceased.

The general rule in medical malpractice death cases is that one is entitled to recover both economic and non-economic damages which are suffered as a result of the loss of a loved one.

Cerebral Palsy and Medical Malpractice

Cerebral palsy is permanent brain injuries that affect an infant in the womb, during birth, or in the months following birth and is one of the most common birth injuries in the United States. Cerebral palsy patients are subject to limited motor skills, speech difficulties and learning disabilities. When cerebral palsy occurs as the result of medical malpractice, the responsible party inflicting said injuries can be held legally responsible. Examples of medical malpractice during delivery include leaving the baby in the birth canal too long resulting in oxygen deprivation, and/or failing to perform or delaying a necessary C-section.

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Cancer Misdiagnosis

When permitted to grow unimpeded, cancer can spread and can completely devastate a person's life. Sometimes physicians fail to take patient complaints seriously or to properly follow up with cancer diagnostic tests, including mammograms, sonograms and biopsies.

It is the responsibility of the treating physician and technicians to provide adequate medical care for their patients, including correctly interpreting cancer symptoms, ordering follow-up tests in a timely manner and correctly reading test results. The failure to take the proper precautions, and/or to misdiagnose or fail to diagnose cancer, can bring a medical malpractice claim.

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Brain Damage

Brain damage can be caused by a direct force to the brain and/or lack of oxygen during surgical procedures, and can result in temporary or fatal injuries. In those circumstances where brain damage is due to a medical professional's negligence, a claim for medical malpractice can be brought. Recovery of fair compensation from those responsible for the brain damage may be necessary for rehabilitation and support of the survivor for the rest of his or her life. If the survivor has died, early retention of an attorney is important to establish fault and preserve evidence.

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Paralysis

Paralysis is the term that describes an individual's loss of strength in a limb or muscle group. Caused by many different factors, paralysis can occur due to medical malpractice, often as the result of a spinal cord injury during surgery. Paralysis can severely disrupt an individual's life - causing a large amount of pain and suffering, financial difficulties due to medical and loss of job abilities, and emotional difficulties for the victim and the victim's family.

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Amputation Mistakes

Amputations most often occur due to high pressure circumstances such as an auto accident or blood vessel disease. Because of this, it is very important for the surgeon to take the necessary precautions in preparing his or her patient for this life changing operation.

If a surgeon makes a surgical mistake during an amputation, it could cause catastrophic injuries that are irreversible. If you or a loved one has experienced a surgical mistake during an amputation, including the amputation of the wrong limb, it is important to contact a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your legal claim.

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Infection from unsanitary operating room

The human body's internal organs are extremely susceptible to infection during an operation, and failing to take the proper steps to ensure a sanitary operating room environment has often proven fatal to patients. Blood transfusion related infections are also common, particularly when patients are given the incorrect blood type in emergency medical situations.

Many elements will play into the standard of care argument: whether the hospital had an effective infection plan in force; whether the doctor used proper surgical procedures and whether hospital, doctors and the other hospital workers were following infection control protocols.

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Coma from Medical Malpractice

A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness, during which an individual is not able to react to their environment. Many people recover their full physical and mental functioning when they emerge from a coma, while others require various forms of therapy. Some patients never recover anything but very basic body functions, and some patients never recover at all.

A coma can be brought on by many physical occurrences, such as bleeding in and around the brain and extremely high or low blood pressure levels. Drugs, medications, substances or other toxins are also causes of coma, as well as various infections that can be the result of doctor and/or hospital negligence. As with any other medical malpractice claim, in order to find the doctor and/or hospital liable for damages resulting from a coma, a breach of the standard of care has to be proven. Contact a medical malpractice attorney in your area today for further information.

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Scarring from Surgery

Surgical errors, including plastic surgery, can have a range of outcomes that can leave a patient with lifelong complications. The patient may require additional corrective surgeries and may experience severe scarring, both internally and externally, disfigurement, loss of work, chronic pain and psychological difficulties. Facial scarring usually requires extensive surgical treatments, and can cause psychological damage to the victim.

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Loss of Vision

Complaints of changes in vision or loss of vision are common in the hospital emergency ward. These complaints may represent a simple problem related to recent trauma or may be early evidence of a disease. Some causes require urgent recognition and treatment, whereas others require minimal outpatient care. The important issues for the emergency physician are: 1) recognition of visual changes; 2) general localization of the lesion through an orderly and structured manner; and 3) appropriate referral if the diagnosis is not apparent or the treatment indicated requires specialized techniques.

The emergency physician plays a pivotal role in diagnosing and treating the loss of vision in a patient, and may ultimately save, or lose, the patient's vision.

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Loss of Hearing

Loss of hearing in a patient can occur for many reasons, including brain trauma and other head injuries. It is imperative that the physician treating such a patient orders the appropriate tests be administered to determine the exact cause of the loss of hearing and to stop the condition from developing into a state of full deafness. Inappropriate medical treatment and the failure to administer CAT (computer axial tomography) scans and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans can lead to the misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose internal bleeding injuries, spinal cord and brain injuries causing the hearing loss, and can jeopardize the ultimate health of the patient.

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RSD/CRPS

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), also known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), is a chronic, painful and progressive neurological condition that affects skin, muscles, joints and bones. The syndrome usually develops in an injured limb, such as a broken leg, or following surgery.

RSD/CRPS appears to involve the complex interaction of the sensory, motor and autonomic nervous systems, and the immune system. Causes associated with the onset of RSD/CRPS include the following:

• Cerebral lesions
• Heart disease, heart attack
• Infection, due to surgical malpractice
• Paralysis on one side of the body (hemiplegia)
• Radiation therapy
• Repetitive motion disorder (e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome)
• Spinal cord disorders
• Surgery malpractice

For more information on RSD/CRPS, or to discuss the legal options available to you when bringing such a medical malpractice claim, contact a qualified attorney in your area today.

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