Misdiagnosis
As a Delaware medical malpractice attorney, I have seen an incredible number of cases involving injury caused by a misdiagnosis. These cases usually fall within 1 of 3 categories: (1) incorrect diagnosis, failure to diagnose, and (3) delayed diagnosis. Here are some examples.
Restless leg syndrome in children. This is a neurological disorder. It causes unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable urge to move when at rest in an effort to relieve these feelings. Most people with RLS have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep and if left untreated, RLS causes exhaustion and daytime fatigue. Unfortunately, RLS is sometimes misdiagnosed in children as growing pains or attention deficit disorder.
Vocal Chord Dysfunction. This is a sudden, abnormal narrowing of the vocal cords which causes obstruction of the airflow. This results in a noise that sounds like wheezing. Although a simple test is all that’s needed, VCD is often misdiagnosed as asthma.
A family was awarded $4.3 million in a medical malpractice case for their baby. The parents were worried when their newborn baby had large bruises on her body. Told by the doctors not to worry, the parents’ fears worsened when the baby’s skin turned yellow. It turns out that the baby’s liver showed signs of scarring and a blood clot formed in her brain. Although simple tests would have easily led to the discovery of a virus, the doctors ignore the symptoms and did not order the tests. As a result, the child has severe vision problems and permanent cirrhosis of the liver. Parts of her brain were also damaged.
Another jury awarded a woman $5 million because hospital doctors incorrectly diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection and muscle strain and failed to diagnose what was really wrong, a ruptured diaphragm. When the correct diagnosis was finally made, she had to have 1/3 of her stomach had to be removed, and she had to undergo numerous surgeries. A correct interpretation of her X-rays would have led to a correct diagnosis.
A woman who lost the use of one her arms was awarded $8.5 million. She had developed a rash on her arm, and so she went to the doctor. The doctor assumed that she was a drug addict looking for a way to obtain drugs, and so he told her to get an over-the-counter medication for her rash. It turned out that what she had was a flesh eating bacteria.
A jury awarded $3 million to the family of a man who was originally diagnosed with a hiatial hernia after he complained of chest pain and trouble swallowing. The trouble is that although hiatial hernias are supposed to be diagnosed. using an upper GI or endoscopy, his diagnosis was made using a CT scan. What he actually had was a perforated esophagus. Due to the delay in diagnosis, he became weakened and died of cardiac arrest during surgery to repair the tear.
Approximately 100,000 people dies every year because of medical errors. If you or a loved one have been injured due to misdiagnosis, contact a Delaware medical malpractice lawyer to discuss your rights.
