One of the most basic and critical errors a medical professional can make is the failure to timely diagnose and properly respond to evidence of illness or disease. Delayed care can result in severe complications, prolonged periods of suffering, and even death.
If you or a loved one has suffered because a doctor, nurse or other medical professional has negligently performed their duties, you may have a basis to receive recovery for the damage you have sustained. Recoverable damages include pain and suffering, medical bills, ongoing care costs, and compensation for the loss of a loved one.
The experienced medical malpractice lawyers handle all failure to diagnose claims, including:
- Failure to diagnose breast cancer
- Failure to diagnose lung cancer
- Failure to diagnose prostate cancer
- Failure to notice signs of heart distress and stroke
- Failure to detect signs of organ failure
- Failure to timely treat kidney damage
- Failure to diagnose post-surgical infection
- Failure to detect signs of fetal distress
- Failure to diagnose a bone fracture
A failure to diagnose can occur in an emergency room setting, but diagnosis errors are not limited to the ER. A patient may go to a routine physical and their doctor may fail to respond properly to evidence of an illness, condition or disease.
Since most medical complications only get worse with the passage of time, a failure to timely diagnose and treat a medical condition can result in irreparable harm. Failure to respond to cancer in a timely fashion may allow the cancer to grow and metastasize. Failure to respond to signs of fetal distress could result in brain damage to a newborn baby. Failure to timely detect kidney damage could result in complete kidney failure.
If you suspect that a medical professional failed to ask the right questions, conduct the proper follow up, provide treatment in a timely fashion, or otherwise perform their duties in a proper manner, contact an attorney to learn more about your legal rights and options.