It may surprise you to learn that medical malpractice is now the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer. Not surprisingly, medical malpractice lawsuits are quite common in the United States. According to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), almost four billion dollars were made in medical malpractice payments in 2014. These are the top reasons injured patients hire a medical malpractice attorney.
misdiagnosis
A large number of these lawsuits arise when doctors misdiagnose or fail to diagnose serious illnesses. Because the patient may be harmed by any delay in treatment, he or she may have a valid claim if negligence can be established. To do so, an attorney must show that a competent doctor would have reached the correct diagnosis if she had only followed proper procedures. Failure to follow established medical guidelines is the most common reason these cases are decided in favor of the plaintiff.
anesthesia errors
Although rare, anesthesia errors are often more dangerous than surgical errors. Even a small miscalculation by an anesthesiologist can lead to serious injury, brain damage, or death. The doctor may make a mistake if:
– Does not examine the patient’s medical history for allergies, illnesses, and other possible complications.
– Does not give the patient preoperative instructions.
– Administers too much anesthesia during the procedure.
– Does not adequately monitor vital signs.
– Incorrectly intubate the patient.
– Use faulty equipment.
birth injuries
When mistakes are made during childbirth, the mother or her child can be seriously injured. For the child, mistakes can result in brain damage, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, broken bones, and other problems. For the mother, mistakes can cause fissures, infections, eclampsia, uterine problems, vaginal tears, and even wrongful death. An experienced medical malpractice attorney should complete their own investigation to determine if negligence was responsible for any of the aforementioned complications.
prescription problems
With seventy percent of Americans taking one or more prescription medications, mistakes are inevitable. Medication errors can occur in a variety of ways, from incorrect prescriptions to misadministration of medication, and can cause serious problems for the patient. According to most experts, the most common mistake is improper dosing, which causes a person to take too much or too little of a given drug. When this happens, the user may not get the benefits of the prescribed drug or may overdose. Any result may be grounds for a lawsuit.
Surgical Errors
Despite their experience, surgeons occasionally make serious mistakes that harm their patients. Although these mistakes are almost always unintentional, they are a clear sign of negligence. Piercing an organ, leaving a surgical instrument in the body, even operating on the wrong part of the body are grounds for a negligence claim. Because such egregious errors are difficult to defend, hospitals often settle surgical claims before going to court.
An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help you recover the damages you deserve if you were injured while under a doctor’s care.
