Stroke misdiagnosis claims
Even when a stroke is diagnosed immediately, the consequences can be tragic. If a medical practitioner fails to recognise the warning signs and symptoms, the effects are far worse. If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke misdiagnosis, you may be entitled to claim. Early indications of a stroke include:
- Slurred speech
- Numbness in one arm
- Facial collapse
- High blood pressure
- Blood infections
The longer the interruption of blood supply to the brain, the more devastating the damage. This means it is vital to recognise the signs of a possible stroke immediately. Although patients aged 60 plus are at greatest risk, younger people can be affected, and paediatric strokes (childhood strokes) do happen. Medical negligence can cause strokes if doctors fail to monitor patients whose medication carries an increased risk of stroke.
Meningitis misdiagnosis claims
Meningitis is a terrible illness even if it has been diagnosed and treated immediately. However, if your medical practitioner fails to recognise the symptoms of meningitis, the delay can lead to even more devastating results. If you have been the victim of medical negligence that resulted in a meningitis misdiagnosis, you could be entitled to make a claim.
Your solicitor will guide you when making a claim for misdiagnosis of:
- Viral meningitis
- Bacterial meningitis
- Meningococcal septicaemia (blood infection)
- Meningitis caused by a middle ear infection (otitis media)
The effects can be fatal if medical practitioners do not recognise the symptoms of meningitis quickly enough and fail to recognise its warning signs.
Diabetes misdiagnosis claims
Diabetes is a chronic disease that can have life-changing consequences. If you have been misdiagnosed with diabetes, or your diabetes was not recognised quickly enough, the results can be detrimental for your quality of life.
Issues can arise if you are diagnosed with the wrong condition, or your diagnosis is delayed. In extreme cases, this negligence can result in blindness, amputation, or kidney failure, with life-altering results.
If you have reason to believe that a medical practitioner’s failure to diagnose your condition properly has negatively affected your health, your solicitor may be able to help you to make a claim.
Ectopic pregnancy claims
A common pregnancy-related form of medical negligence is the misdiagnosis of ectopic pregnancies as miscarriages. In an ectopic pregnancy, a fertilised egg implants itself outside the uterus, usually in one of the Fallopian tubes. This can cause vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain. The Fallopian tube can even burst if the condition is not addressed promptly.
It is vital that an ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed immediately to ensure proper treatment, but ectopic pregnancies can be misdiagnosed as miscarriages. Misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies can prompt unnecessary surgery, causing serious health problems. If you have suffered an ectopic pregnancy misdiagnosis, you could be entitled to claim compensation.
Broken bone misdiagnosis claims
You may be entitled to make a broken bone misdiagnosis claim if your doctor should have made the correct diagnosis with the medical information and diagnostic tests available. The success of such a claim is more likely if your doctor showed poor professional performance, acted incompetently, or misdiagnosed a broken bone because of inexperience in interpreting diagnostic test results such as X-rays.
You also need to demonstrate that you suffered as a direct result of the missed diagnosis of a broken bone. You must prove that you developed preventable health complications, a more serious break, or greater pain to be successful in a claim for compensation for a failure to diagnose broken bones.
Irritable bowel syndrome misdiagnosis claims
Many of the symptoms of bowel cancer are similar to the symptoms of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This means that irritable bowel syndrome misdiagnosis may lead to a missed diagnosis of bowel cancer. If detected early, bowel cancer has a very high survival rate, so a misdiagnosis of IBS can delay identification of bowel cancer and reduce the chances of a positive outcome. If you have had an IBS misdiagnosis that led to you suffering preventable health complications due to the negligence of your medical practitioner, you could be entitled to claim financial damages.
Epilepsy misdiagnosis claims
If you have had an epilepsy misdiagnosis due to the medical negligence of a medical professional, you may be able to make a claim against those responsible. To be successful in an epilepsy misdiagnosis claim, you must prove that medical negligence caused the delay in diagnosis and that it led to avoidable suffering.
To demonstrate that your suffering was caused by medical negligence, you may follow a number of routes, depending on your personal circumstances. These include proving that:
- You revealed the symptoms of epilepsy to your doctor, but they failed to follow up on them.
- Further tests (involving an MRI or EEG, for example) proved inconclusive, but the symptoms were not further investigated.
- Abnormalities in test results were not followed up.
- Receipt of test results was delayed unnecessarily.
Testicular Torsion
Testicular torsion is a medical emergency that involves the removal of blood supply to the testicles. It can occur for several reasons, but if diagnosed or treated late, it can result in the removal of the testicle. This can give rise to a claim for medical negligence.
Causes of testicular torsion
Babies can experience testicular torsion in the womb, but it is most common among boys aged 12 to 16. A common reason is strenuous exercise. The injury happens because a twisting of the spermatic cord restricts blood supply to the testicle.
Testicular torsion is very painful and should be treated immediately by a GP or in an Accident and Emergency Department. If treatment occurs within six hours, prospects of full recovery are excellent. The success rate drops to 50% if treatment takes place after 12 hours. After 24 hours, it is highly likely the patient will need an orchiectomy to have the testicle removed.
Cauda Equina Syndrome claims
Cauda equina syndrome can have serious consequences if it is not treated quickly and correctly. If your doctor has failed to diagnose or treat your condition properly, you may have grounds for claiming financial damages. Cauda equina syndrome occurs when a group of nerves at the base of the spinal cord are compressed. It is a medical emergency with potential long-term effects including paralysis and incontinence. Doctors need to immediately identify the warning signs, which include:
- Extreme back pain
- Incontinence
- Sexual dysfunction
- Pain in either leg
Decompression surgery to relieve the pressure on the spine is vital as soon as possible to avoid the devastating consequences. Your medical negligence solicitors will be able to help you make a cauda equina claim if you have suffered because of medical negligence.
