The Most Common Types Of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Patients should be able to trust medical professionals. Protections for the integrity of doctor-patient relationships have existed for years, and doctors are still obligated to follow the ancient Greek Hippocratic Oath, declaring that they will act only in patients' best interests. While we believe that they do, doctors and other healthcare professionals sometimes make mistakes while treating patients. These mistakes can lead to catastrophic injuries and are legally referred to as medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional’s or medical institution's actions or omissions fall below the acceptable standard of care, resulting in serious injury, complications or death to a patient.
If a recent medical procedure or experience left you or a loved one with an injury, it’s worth determining whether medical malpractice might have occurred. Here are some common types of medical malpractice lawsuits everyone should know.
Common Types of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Misdiagnosis/Failure to Diagnose
A misdiagnosis occurs when a medical professional improperly diagnoses a patient's condition or fails to recognize the signs and symptoms of the condition. Similarly, a failure to diagnose is when the medical professional makes no diagnosis at all even though the patient is suffering clear symptoms of a condition. Many times, this is a result of an improper interpretation of an imaging study (x-ray, MRI, CT scan). This can lead to wrong, delayed or no treatment, which can have serious consequences for the patient. Misdiagnosis can lead to catastrophic injuries or even death.
Birth Injuries
Most babies are delivered with few or no physical injuries to the child or their mother. However, childbirth carries a high risk of complications as there are numerous things that can go wrong. Statistics have shown that about 6 to 8 birth injuries occur for every 1,000 children born in the United States.
In some situations, birth injuries can cause the mother's or baby's death. Medical malpractice leading to birth injuries may occur whenever any of the following have taken place:
Inadequate prenatal care
Improper use of forceps or the excessive application of force removing a newborn from the birth canal
Failure to diagnose serious complications either during pregnancy or childbirth
Failure to perform a C-section when necessary
Failure to timely address maternal hemorrhaging post delivery.
Surgical Errors
Although all surgeries involve some known risks and are not always successful, serious and unforeseen complications as a result of a clear surgical error may result in a viable malpractice claim. Some types of surgical errors that may constitute medical malpractice are:
Operating on the wrong part of a patient's body
Leaving instruments in a patient's body following surgery
Improper administration of monitoring of anesthesia
Organ perforations
Medical/Nursing Facility Slip and Fall
All too often, our at most risk relatives who are sick and/or elderly, are allowed to walk unassisted in medical and nursing facilities resulting in serious falls and ending in serious injury or death. Some falls are unavoidable, but these facilities and their staff are supposed to continuously monitor patients’ fall risks and implement the appropriate fall risk precautions. Oftentimes, they do not.
Contact a South Carolina Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you or a loved one has been a victim of any of the above scenarios, it is important to seek legal help right away. It is bad enough having to undergo the pain of medical malpractice, and you should not be left alone to deal with the repercussions.
Medical malpractice attorneys understand the nuances of the law and will help you receive the compensation you deserve.
To work with medical malpractice attorneys in South Carolina, contact HHP Law Group today for a free consultation.