Failure To Diagnose Attorneys

A missed diagnosis, sometimes referred to as a failure to diagnose, is a form of medical malpractice in which a health care professional does not diagnose a serious illness or medical condition that is affecting a patient and which a reasonably prudent health care professional would have diagnosed under the same or similar circumstances. A related problem is delayed diagnosis, which occurs when unreasonable delays in diagnosing a serious illness or medical condition that is affecting a patient result in serious harm.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, it is important to seek help from a skilled and experienced attorney like our lawyers at Kaire & Heffernan, PLLC. Our firm has been fighting for clients in the Miami area since 1997. We are well-versed in medical malpractice law and have a strong track record of success on behalf of our clients.

Commonly Misdiagnosed Conditions

Failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis may be referred to as a “misdiagnosis.” Unfortunately, misdiagnosis of medical conditions is somewhat common. Some of the most frequently misdiagnosed conditions include:

  • Aortic dissection
  • Appendicitis
  • Blood clots and related conditions like deep vein thrombosis
  • Many types of cancer, especially breast, colon, lung, prostate and rectal cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Heart attack
  • Infection or sepsis
  • Labor and delivery complications leading to birth injuries in newborn babies
  • Pneumonia
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Stroke

The consequences of a failure to diagnose may be devastating, or even fatal, for the patient. For example, a doctor may fail to diagnose an illness in its early stages if the doctor does not identify the symptoms. As a result, the patient will suffer from the sickness indefinitely. In other cases, the doctor may delay diagnosing a progressive illness like diabetes or cancer, and the delay may allow the disease to develop severe complications (such as amputations or loss of eyesight in diabetes) or spread to other parts of the body (as in many cancers). Sometimes, too, with acute conditions like appendicitis, heart attack or stroke, a failure to diagnose the condition may lead to the patient’s death.

Why Does Misdiagnosis Occur?

There are numerous reasons for misdiagnosis. Common causes include:

  • The distraction of the health care professional who is treating the patient
  • Errors in reading medical test results
  • Failure to differentiate among medical conditions that have similar or common symptoms
  • Failure to pay close enough attention to a patient’s complaints and symptoms to diagnose the patient’s illness
  • Failure to recognize the patient’s symptoms
  • Failure to spend enough time with a patient to develop a full medical history
  • Poor sampling techniques for medical tests

Misdiagnosis may deprive you or a loved one of the chance to fight a serious disease like cancer, diabetes or heart disease or to make informed decisions about your health. The misdiagnosis may also result in expensive treatments and medical bills as well as financial losses. The financial losses may include lost wages from the time you missed work and the value of lost future wages. You may also endure pain and suffering, for which you may be able to obtain legal compensation under Florida law.

Let Us Investigate Your Case And Help You Seek Justice

If you or a loved one has been injured by a missed or delayed diagnosis, please seek appropriate medical treatment immediately. Then contact our firm for a free and confidential consultation about your case. You may contact us online or phone us at 305-376-7860. We serve clients in and around Miami, Florida. Se habla español.

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