Worcester Failure to Diagnose Lawyer

Failure to Diagnose Medical Malpractice in Worcester, MA

When a doctor or medical professional fails to provide an acceptable standard of care to a patient, their negligence may result in serious harm or injury. This is known as medical malpractice.

One type of medical malpractice is a failure to diagnose patients in a prompt and accurate manner.

Every year, over 100,000 patients in the United States are permanently disabled or die due to diagnostic errors, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Some examples of diagnostic errors include:

• Delayed diagnosis: When a doctor does not identify the cause of a patient’s symptoms in a timely manner, causing their condition to worsen or become untreatable
• Failure to diagnose: When a doctor fails to take the steps needed to provide a patient with a diagnosis
• Misdiagnosis: When a doctor incorrectly diagnoses a patient, which can lead to unnecessary treatments while their health continues to decline

If a doctor does not provide a patient with a diagnosis, or if they provide an incorrect diagnosis, this does not automatically prove malpractice. The patient’s lawyer must show that, under similar conditions, another doctor would have correctly diagnosed the illness.

At Sokolove Law, our Worcester wrong diagnosis lawyers have decades of experience proving medical malpractice or negligence. Let us fight for you.

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Since 1979, Sokolove Law has secured over $9.6 Billion for thousands of injured clients nationwide.

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Conditions Commonly Missed by Medical Professionals

If caught early, many medical conditions can be managed with medication, surgery, and other treatment options. Unfortunately, health care professionals often fail to diagnose serious health issues that may worsen due to the delay.

Below are some of the more common conditions that often go unidentified or are misdiagnosed.

Aneurysm Misdiagnosis Malpractice

Aneurysms are bulges that form in the weakened walls of an artery, especially within the chest or brain. If misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed, aneurysms can pose severe risks.

Failure to properly diagnose an aneurysm can result in vessel rupture, leading to internal bleeding, blood clots, or stroke.

Aortic aneurysms — which occur in the body’s largest artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso — can prove fatal if the outer wall of the aorta is penetrated.

Symptoms of aortic aneurysms can include back and chest pain, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness.

A timely and accurate diagnosis of a brain aneurysm is also crucial for effective treatment, as failure to do so can result in paralysis, brain damage, coma, or death.

Symptoms of brain aneurysms can include:

• Blurred vision
• Cranial nerve palsy (lack of nerve function that limits the eye’s ability to move)
• Dilated pupils
• Headache
• Loss of sensation
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain above or behind the eyes
• Sensitivity to light
• Severe headaches
• Stiff neck

If diagnosed accurately and early, aneurysms may be treated with surgery and medication.

Blood Clots & Misdiagnosis

Blood clots help your body to stop bleeding following an injury. However, if blood clots form without reason and prevent blood from flowing throughout the rest of your body, serious medical issues may occur.

One issue that may form from an undiagnosed blood clot is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when blood clots form in veins found in the arms or legs.

Symptoms of DVT often appear in the affected leg and can include:

• Pain, cramping, or soreness
• Red or discolored skin
• Swelling
• Warmness

A failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of a blood clot can make the condition worse, and delays in diagnosing blood clots can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or death.

Medical Malpractice & Failure to Diagnose Cancer

In most cases, an early cancer diagnosis is crucial to properly treating and recovering from the different forms of this disease.

Failing to diagnose or misdiagnosing cancer often leads to invasive and painful treatments. The further progressed a patient’s cancer becomes, the less likely they are to recover from it.

A health care professional may not properly diagnose cancer if they:

• Failed to discuss or order regular screening tests
• Incorrectly interpreted scans and other test results
• Don’t take “minor” symptoms seriously
• Rely too heavily on risk factors like age or family history

The timing of a cancer diagnosis can have a large impact on the treatment options available to you.

Heart Attack Misdiagnosis

A heart attack is the result of a blockage in one or more arteries. The blockage can be either partial or complete, slowing or stopping blood flow to the heart and depriving the body of oxygen.

Symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Cold sweat
• Fatigue
• Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness
• Nausea, indigestion, heartburn, or abdominal pain
• Pain and discomfort that originates in one area and spreads to a different area
• Pressure, discomfort, or tightness in the chest, abdomen, neck, back, jaw, or arms
• Shortness of breath

During a heart attack, blood flow must be restored quickly to avoid damage. A failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, or delayed diagnosis of a heart attack can lead to death.

Not all patients experience chest pain when having a heart attack, which can sometimes lead to a misdiagnosis. Heart attacks, especially those where the pain is located in the abdomen, can be misdiagnosed as heartburn or indigestion.

Doctors should perform an EKG to evaluate heart rhythm, conduct blood tests, and provide clot-dissolving drugs to identify and address a heart attack. If none of the above took place, malpractice may have occurred.

Failure to Diagnose Infections

Many infections are easily treated with antibiotics and other medications. However, infections may spread throughout the body and become life-threatening very quickly if not diagnosed and treated by a medical professional.

Hospitals may also find themselves facing a malpractice lawsuit if their patient develops a hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Patients recovering from surgery or awaiting treatment may have compromised immune systems, making them especially prone to infections.

Some common HAIs include:

• Clostridium difficile or C. diff infections
• Gastrointestinal conditions
• Pneumonia
• Sepsis or bloodstream infections
• Surgical site infections
• Urinary tract infections from the use of catheters

At least 1 out of 10 people admitted to a hospital will get HAIs, which are linked to high patient morbidity and death.

Left undiagnosed, an infection can lead to sepsis and septic shock, which may cause organ damage, organ failure, and death.

Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis

A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot that breaks free and travels through the veins to the lungs.

During a pulmonary embolism, blood flow to the lungs is disrupted and lung tissues begin to die, which prevents the lungs from oxygenating the body.

Symptoms of pulmonary embolism include:

• Anxiety
• Discolored skin
• Dizziness
• Dry cough that generates bloody sputum
• Excessive sweating
• Fainting
• Fever
• Irregular and rapid heartbeat
• Leg pain or swelling of the calf
• Sharp stabbing chest pain
• Shortness of breath

A physician’s failure to diagnose, misdiagnose, or delay the diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. Approximately 33% of undiagnosed or untreated patients die from pulmonary embolism.

If you believe a doctor misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose you or a loved one’s health issue, contact us today for a free case review.

Medical Malpractice Failure to Diagnose Stroke

Strokes kill hundreds of thousands of Americans each year, making them a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is interrupted due to a blocked or burst blood vessel, causing brain cells to die rapidly.

There are different types of strokes, but the most common are:

• Hemorrhagic strokes: The result of a ruptured blood vessel in the brain that causes a brain bleed
• Ischemic strokes: When a clot blocks blood flow to the brain
• Transient ischemic attacks (TIA): When blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked for a few minutes. These “mini strokes” usually resolve on their own.

Symptoms of a stroke can include issues with vision, speech, coordination, and more. Sometimes, paralysis will occur on one side of the body.

Both a timely diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial with a stroke, as these can limit the damage caused by the stroke and ultimately increase the likelihood of recovery.

However, a failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, or delay in diagnosing can lead to avoidable lifelong injuries like paralysis, loss of motor functions, seizures, or even death.

How to File a Worcester Failure to Diagnose Lawsuit

Filing a failure to diagnose lawsuit can hold medical professionals accountable for their negligence and prevent other patients from suffering a similar fate. Compensation from a lawsuit can also help you pay for any additional care needed following a medical mistake.

If you have a case, our Worcester failure to diagnose lawyers will handle every step of the legal process for you, so you can focus on your health and your loved ones.

Our misdiagnosis lawyers in Worcester can:

• Provide you with a free case review to determine if you have a case
• Investigate your situation and gather evidence to prove it could have been prevented
• File your Worcester failure to diagnose lawsuit within any state-specific deadlines
• Negotiate a failure to diagnose settlement with the defendants (a doctor, hospital, insurance company, or other medical professional)

If a settlement is unable to be reached, we’re prepared to present your case in court before a judge and jury.

Additionally, there are no upfront costs or hourly fees to work with our team. We only get paid if we secure compensation for you.

Our Massachusetts Failure to Diagnose Settlement Amounts

For decades, our failure to diagnose attorneys in Worcester have fought for victims of medical malpractice and negligence. We’ve helped thousands of people who were harmed through no fault of their own.

Our past settlements and verdicts for failure to diagnose cases include:

• $3.9 Million for a patient who received a delayed diagnosed for a herniated disc
• $2.45 Million for a patient in Dartmouth whose diagnosis was incorrect
• $2.25 Million for a patient in New Bedford who suffered a misdiagnosis
• $2 Million for a patient in Lexington who's now partially paralyzed in their back due to a delayed diagnosis
• $1.5 Million for a woman in Arlington who received a delayed ovarian cancer diagnosis
• $1.25 Million for a client who was misdiagnosed, which delayed his lung cancer diagnosis until it was stage 4 and inoperable

While there’s no guarantee of success in any case, our Worcester failure to diagnose lawyers will fight for the most compensation possible in your case.

Compensation from a malpractice lawsuit can help pay for medical expenses, therapy, lost wages, pain and suffering, funeral services, and more.

Let Our Worcester Failure to Diagnose Lawyers Fight for You

At Sokolove Law, we understand how terrifying an unknown or delayed medical diagnosis can be. Our compassionate Worcester medical misdiagnosis lawyers are dedicated to holding those responsible for your suffering accountable while making the legal process as stress-free as possible for you.

Since 1979, we’ve recovered over $9.6 Billion for our clients across the country.

We only get paid if we recover compensation for you, so there is no financial risk to taking legal action.

Let us fight for the justice you deserve. Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form for a free, no-obligation case review.

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