Medical professionals are doing everything in their power to treat a patient. However, they can make medical mistakes or not do everything they can and cause harm.
Malpractice in emergency rooms (ERs) deals with particular standards of care. Before the coronavirus crisis hit, we had a client who had to be admitted to the ER after being involved in a car accident:
- There, the ER medical team checked him out and quickly discharged him, assuring him he was good to go.
- While resuming his regular plans abroad on a scheduled trip, he suffered from further health issues and complications.
Common Emergency Room errors include:
- Misdiagnosis
- Failure to diagnose and perform proper tests
- Failure to treat an injured patient
- Improper medication
- Delayed treatment
- Failure to follow up
- Sending people injured in accidents home too early
Patients discharged too soon may return to the hospital later with severe risks to their health or life because of these healthcare provider medical errors. These risks may be more significant now more than ever.
Healthcare providers are trying to do anything and everything they can in these uncertain times, but a patient's duty of care is always the top priority. A patient's rights are what we fight for whenever the need arises.
Failure to Recognize Post-Accident Internal Bleeding
While our client involved in an auto accident was abroad, he found out that he had internal bleeding and had to be rushed in a jet over 900 miles from an island back to Tampa. At the hospital, a portion of his GI tract had to be removed through two surgeries. As his organs were very swollen and couldn't be reconnected, he also had to have an emergency ileostomy - surgery used to move waste out of the body. Luckily, about three or four months later, when most of his trauma healed, his doctor was able to do a reversal surgery to reconnect his GI tract so that he no longer needed the ostomy bag.
The hospital where he was rushed after the car accident and the physician who treated him also failed to recognize that he had terrible chemical burns. They didn't do any imaging in the given situation. Overall, as a result of the accident, he incurred medical costs exceeding $700K for treatment of his injuries because our client also:
- Had to be put on an IV
- Spent over a month in the hospital for rehabilitation
- Still gets weak often
- Remained with long-term side effects from missing the GI tract
- Had to pay for an extremely expensive life flight
What Does This Medical Malpractice Case Mean for You?
This case illustrates:
- The importance of patient post-accident medical care: Although there may be no obvious complications after a car accident, a patient is still at risk. The initial ER medical provider was negligent and discharged the plaintiff without ordering necessary tests or considering internal bleeding.
- How a patient's condition can go from stable to critical after discharge, and in turn, that ER healthcare professionals can be held responsible for their own decisions.
In this case, our legal team successfully proved that medical tests should have been ordered soon after the crash. This conclusion implies that the ER's medical team's method of discharging the patient without examining him did not meet the standard of care in this case.
A healthcare professional must employ practices and methods that can efficiently diagnose a condition once they have a patient in their care, perform the assessment required before discharge, and be alert to the most misdiagnosed conditions.
The outcome of this case - a settlement in favor of our client - was also heavily dependent on the use of medical experts who testified on behalf of the man to establish the appropriate standard of care.
In medical malpractice cases, expert testimony is often critical, and it is vital to identify and secure the assistance of qualified experts quickly. It is essential to have an expert on board early in the case to shape the approach to the entire case, which justifies the expense of early involvement. It is also critical for the client and their counsel to make sure the expert devotes sufficient time to prepare for the specific case.
Florida Medical Malpractice Lawyer for Victims of Internal Bleeding Medical Negligence
Failure to diagnose internal bleeding is a medical error that can lead to a lack of medical treatment and serious injury.
People who suffered harm due to medical negligence involving internal bleeding have the right to recover compensation for damages.
You might wonder how you can prove medical malpractice occurred or if you have a medical malpractice case. Due to the high stakes, medical negligence cases are often very complex and contested. In complicated situations, you'll need a medical malpractice attorney to work on your case. At The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary we build your medical malpractice case with full and fair compensation in mind.