When people suffer from medical conditions, prompt diagnosis and treatment is usually the key to helping prevent further injuries from developing. However, at one point or another, many doctors fail to give accurate diagnosis, resulting in a patient receiving a delayed diagnosis. Consequently, a patient can suffer the negative consequences of a doctor’s negligence, such as a brain injury.
How a Brain Injury Can Occur From a Delayed Diagnosis
While most doctors conduct thorough examinations and use test results to diagnose patients’ health conditions, some doctors fail to diagnose the following conditions, resulting in delayed treatment. When treatment is delayed for the following health conditions, a person may suffer a brain injury:
- Stroke. If a doctor doesn’t recognize a symptom and provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment for a patient experiencing a stroke, a patient may suffer a stroke-induced brain injury due to oxygen deprivation.
- Heart attack. While most heat attacks are detected and treated promptly in the United States, some healthcare professionals fail to provide a prompt diagnosis, leading to serious medical complications and death. For those who survive an undiagnosed heart attack, they may suffer needless brain injuries and other serious consequences. This is often the case in emergency rooms, where it is a chaotic environment and there are other medical professionals—such as interns and medical students—who check on patients and could miss the signs of a heart attack.
- Meningitis. People with meningitis are often diagnosed with the flu because the symptoms are similar. Sadly, a delay in diagnosis can mean a delay in treating meningitis, which can ultimately lead to neurological damage and a severe brain injury.
- Jaundice. When a doctor delays diagnosing a newborn with jaundice and doesn’t promptly treat high bilirubin levels with special lights, a baby can suffer brain damage due to untreated jaundice.
A doctor’s negligence or incompetence has the power to change someone’s life forever. If you believe your doctor made a diagnosing mistake that led to your brain injury, you may have a claim for damages.
To find out more about making a medical malpractice claim, you should seek the advice of a knowledgeable lawyer. Be aware, however, that not all attorneys are experienced in handling medical malpractice cases that involve brain injuries. In order to have the best chance of holding the negligent party responsible and making a financial recovery, please call us today for a free consultation at 703-721-4233. We would be happy to answer your questions and fight for you.