9 Common Medical Malpractice Cases
When you experience an illness or find yourself in an emergency, you place your safety in the hands of doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners. These professionals are required to diagnose your symptoms and injuries, take all necessary measures to treat you, and ensure that you recover from your ailment or wound.
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While medical practitioners routinely work diligently to provide proper care to all their patients, accidents can occur when adequate precautions are not taken. A doctor or nurse can cause or exacerbate a condition through simple negligence. If you or your loved ones experience one of these common types of medical malpractice, you may be able to file a claim against the responsible practitioner with the help of our injury attorneys in Tampa FL.
1. Birth Injuries
A birth injury may occur when a physician or hospital nurse provides substandard care during the pregnancy or the birthing process. Devastating effects, such as paralysis, brain damage, and even death, may happen to the mother and/or the child.
2. Complications from Anesthesia
If a patient is going to be fully sedated, the anesthesiologist may or may not be present for the entire procedure. He or she is, however, responsible for the conduct of the nurse anesthetist, who will be present the entire time.
3. Failure to Diagnose
When you are injured or sick, you will show physical signs and complain of symptoms, and your medical professional is obligated to recognize those signs and symptoms. If your condition worsens or leads to damages, you may file a claim for failure to diagnose.
4. Fires and Other Accidents During Surgery
Surgical fires are not common, but they do occur, and they can be severely damaging. Surgical fires can be either inpatient (inside your body) or onpatient (outside your body). Inpatient surgical fires are not always controllable, but outpatient fires are unacceptable. Anesthesiologists, surgeons, and nurses are all responsible for avoiding these accidents.
5. Heart Attack Misdiagnosis
A heart attack per se is not actionable. However, you may file a potential claim for misdiagnosis. If a heart attack leaves you with permanent damage, or if you are no longer able to perform certain tasks following a heart attack, you might be able to file a claim for failure to diagnose.
6. Medication Errors
If you think a doctor has prescribed you the wrong medication or dosage, confront the doctor immediately. Your concern at this point is your health, not a malpractice suit. According to the Food and Drug Administration, prescription medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States.
7. Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)
Necrotizing enterocolitis is a gastrointestinal disease, mostly affecting premature infants where infection and inflammation cause destruction of the bowel or part of the bowel. This disease is the most common and serious gastrointestinal disorder among premature infants.
8. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
Some premature babies can develop abnormal blood vessels in the retina, causing the retina to detach and possibly leading to blindness. In some cases, blindness from ROP is avoidable with proper screening and treatment. If a physician catches ROP soon after birth, an ophthalmologist can use a laser to prevent the abnormal blood vessels from growing, scarring, contracting, and detaching the retina. If your newborn becomes blind because of ROP, the healthcare provider can be liable.
9. Wrongful Death
If you suspect that someone you love has died because of medical malpractice, you need to arrange for an autopsy immediately. If you intend to file a claim, it will be your responsibility to prove the cause of death, and to demonstrate that this resulted from a medical provider’s negligence.
In the hectic world of modern medicine, despite recent advances in the field, mistakes are always possible. However, it is the duty of medical professionals to protect and help their patients, and inattention is no excuse. Even minor accidents that occur when treating a patient can significantly affect that person’s quality of life for years afterward. Consult one of our experienced injury attorney in Tampa FL if you believe that you, your relatives, or your friends have been the victims of medical malpractice.
Check out our medical malpractice guide, and our free mobile apps to guide you further.
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