Medical malpractice refers to the act when a medical professional fails to provide proper treatment or take proper action, resulting in harm or even death of a patient. There are multiple types of medical malpractices, and one of them is failure to diagnose. Failure to diagnose happens when a professional fails to give a diagnosis for a patient’s condition.
Failing to diagnose on time could lead to severe harm to the patient, and the consequences may even be fatal in some cases, especially if the patient has a form of cancer. This comes under malpractice, and you can take the doctor to court if you have experienced something like this. Contact a lawyer to get legal advice through the legal process.
Conditions that doctors fail to diagnose
These are some common conditions doctors sometimes fail to diagnose. Giving a diagnosis on time is vital to a patient’s health.
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Cancer
Diagnosing cancer in its early stages is incredibly vital as patients have a higher chance of survival and recovery. Early stages of cancer also don’t require as painful treatments as the later stages.
Breast cancer, in particular, has always been difficult to diagnose, leading to many deaths between the years of 1990 and 1999 in the US, according to a study done by the National Library of Medicine.
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Stroke
Strokes are one of the leading causes of death in the US, killing around 137,000 people each year. Brain cells survive on oxygen and nutrients. Their only way of receiving them is through the blood supply, which is disturbed during a stroke.
Blood vessels get blocked or burst, stopping blood supply to the brain when a person is experiencing a stroke. An affected individual might experience dizziness, confusion, or a sudden headache during a stroke.
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Heart Attack
A heart attack happens from blocked arteries. Arteries are blood vessels carrying oxygen-rich blood from the heart to all the body’s cells. When arteries get blocked, it stops blood flow to the heart, which results in no oxygen in the body.
An affected person may experience shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, pain that starts in one area and gradually spreads to another, etc. Failing to diagnose a heart attack can be fatal for the patient.
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Blood Clot
Blood clots are also called thrombosis. They are clumps of blood that form in your blood vessels, leading to pain and swelling in the affected area. DVT (deep vein thrombosis) is known as one of the serious kinds of blood clots. They typically affect the legs.
If you or your family member has experienced medical malpractice and need a lawyer, contact Georgia medical malpractice lawyers today!
