Being told that you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an illness or disease with no known cure is not only devastating news, but is also likely information that will greatly change the life of the patient. Even if there is no known cure, a patient in Pennsylvania may be very open and optimistic about his or her options regarding the possible treatment plans offered to them. But what if these treatment plans hold serious risks? And what if the doctor did not properly diagnose the patient?
Medical Malpractice
The failure to diagnose an imperforate anus is serious
The birth of a baby is always a much-anticipated and exciting event for families. Most babies are born healthy but occasionally a baby can suffer from a medical condition. Doctors who check these newborns in the hospital are trained to diagnose babies with many conditions, including an imperforate anus. But when a doctor fails to diagnose a condition it can lead to the baby having a serious injury.
ABC’s of a Healthy Pregnancy
Not all birth defects (or injuries) can be prevented, but a woman can take some actions that increase her chance of having a healthy baby. Many birth defects happen very early in pregnancy, sometimes before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
Common mistakes made by cardiologists
Many Pittsburgh residents will need to visit the cardiologist at some point in their lives. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and cardiologists are valuable members of the medical community. But, cardiologists can face medical malpractice lawsuits for a number of reasons including the failure to diagnose a medical condition.
The failure to diagnose periodontal disease is serious
Going to the dentist is something that most Pittsburgh residents do twice a year. Dentists provide a service to keep teeth in good shape and to help treat cavities and diagnosing gum disease when it’s still in its early stages. When a dentist fails to diagnose periodontal disease early in a patient the patient can wind up with more serious dental issues and a worsened condition.
Radiation dosage error injures patients
Most Pittsburgh residents will undergo cancer treatment that includes radiation or will have family member go through the process. Cancer is a scary diagnosis and treatment is often specialized for each patient and their unique situation. Radiation is often used as part of the treatment plan but medication errors can cause serious issues for cancer patients.
Blood clots can be misdiagnosed
When a Pittsburgh resident goes to the doctor or to the ER with a medical condition they expect that they will receive a correct diagnosis. No one expects that their doctor will give them a wrong diagnosis or will suffer from failure to diagnose a serious condition. But, for thousands of patients this has become reality. One condition that is often misdiagnosed are blood clots.
A breast biopsy is often misdiagnosed
Many women in the Pittsburgh area will undergo a breast biopsy at some point. In the U.S. over 1.5 million women have them each year. A breast biopsy is performed after a woman finds a lump on her breast or if there is an abnormality found in a mammogram. When one of these things happen, a doctor removes a small amount of tissue, which is then tested.
Lack of training can lead to robotic surgical errors
Many Pittsburgh residents will have a surgical procedure performed on them during their lifetime. Surgeries are necessary for many people and most go as planned. In recent years, robotic surgery has become popular with many U.S. hospitals offering the service to its patients. Robotic surgeries are popular because they are typically minimally invasive. But unexpected surgical accidents do arise and some of them can be attributed to the surgeons not receiving proper training.
Psychiatric patients also at risk for medical malpractice
Mental health is an important piece of a person’s overall health. Thousands of Pittsburgh residents take some sort of psychiatric medicine-for depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder and a host of other conditions. These medications and the care that medical providers provide are critical in maintaining a person’s mental health. But when medical providers fail to diagnose a patient with mental illness, prescribes the wrong medication or engages in other negligent behavior, a medical provider can be held liable.