Many people who experience stroke symptoms don’t know what’s happening to them. They know they aren’t feeling normal and some may have symptoms such as confusion and weakness, but it may never occur to them that they are experiencing a stroke; however, because they know something isn’t right, they have someone drive them to the emergency room or they call…
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a very severe injury that can cause serious change in a person’s life. Typically, this type of injury occurs after a severe blow, a spinning jolt, an object penetrating the skull, or bleeding in the brain. While most traumatic brain injuries are a result of car accidents, trucking accidents, falls, sports, violence, and war,…
You have been having stomach cramps for a few weeks. Not surprising, since your youngest is starting school and your job’s been a little hectic lately. You think it’s just stress, but your spouse wants you to see the doctor just to be sure. At your appointment, you tell the doctor what you’ve been going through, and he agrees that…
When a loved one is dying, you want him to have the best care available. You brace yourself for the inevitable, knowing that each time you visit their hospital room might be your last. But when the day comes, how will you be able to tell whether the death was natural or a result of the hospital that was supposed…
Many people who enter emergency rooms (ER) have traumatic injuries and serious medical conditions that warrant emergency surgeries. While most surgeries are beneficial and save people’s lives, there are some surgeries that don’t go as planned and cause the patient further harm. This often happens when medical mistakes result in internal bleeding (also known as internal hemorrhaging). Internal bleeding can…
When people hear about medical malpractice claims, an image of a doctor operating on the wrong limb might come to mind; however, there are many instances of medical malpractice that are the result of a doctor’s indirect error, such as a delay in diagnosis. What Is a Delay in Diagnosis? A delay in diagnosis is a situation in which a…
When taking medication, you trust your doctor and pharmacist to get it right. Unfortunately, some pharmacists get it wrong and make critical errors behind the pharmacy counter that can jeopardize patients’ lives. While some pharmacy errors are simply annoying, other mistakes made with prescriptions can be downright deadly. Here are some of the ways pharmacy errors take place: Wrong medication. This…
You’ve no doubt heard the horror stories about doctors removing the wrong leg, or hand, or even eye from a patient as he lies unconscious on the surgical table. Thankfully, your procedure is a simple appendectomy, and you’ve only got one appendix, so you’re not at risk of a wrong-site surgery in Virginia. Unless the doctor mistakes you for someone…
Make no mistake about it, appendicitis is a true medical emergency as the appendix can rupture if treatment doesn’t occur in a timely fashion. Sadly, many people are misdiagnosed, which causes a delay in treatment, resulting in serious injuries or even death. Although many people are aware that low pain on the right side of the abdomen is a sign…
It may seem unthinkable that a surgery could be performed on the wrong patient, but it does occur. Although rare, these never events—wrong-site, wrong-procedure, wrong-patient errors—should never occur but when they do, medical malpractice action should be taken. What Are Some of the Problems That Lead to Wrong-Patient Surgeries? Generally, there isn’t just one error that occurs that causes a patient…