Delayed and Misdiagnosis Resulting in Medical Injury
Misdiagnoses and failure to diagnose are the reasons cited for a majority of medical malpractice occurrences, as well as emergency room lawsuits. At Marion A. Morawicz, Ltd., in Chicago, Illinois, I am an experienced lawyer, dedicated to helping my clients and their families recover maximum compensation for injuries arising from delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and medical negligence.
Failure to Diagnose Cancer, Heart Attack and Stroke
Misdiagnoses and failure to diagnose can have both immediate and long-term health impacts — as you can see in the cases described below. Prompt treatment may be essential to a patient's survival, as is the case with heart attacks and strokes, some forms of cancer, and certainly with pregnancy and childbirth problems.
Unfortunately, when doctors, pathologists and other medical professionals make incorrect diagnostic decisions — when they make assumptions rather than seek certainty — patients suffer. In some cases, negligence can be fatal.
Our medical system of health insurance companies and HMOs can contribute to this reckless negligence. When HMOs and managed care programs disapprove diagnostic procedures and treatment options, in a form of health care rationing, doctors are prevented from taking responsible precautions.
As an experienced Chicago delayed diagnosis attorney, I will investigate your case personally and consult with medical experts to understand the medical diagnostic procedures that would be the standard of care, given the symptoms you presented indicating:
- Organ failure: kidney failure, liver failure, pancreatitis or respiratory failure
- Cancer: lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma or rare cancers
- Coronary problems: heart attack, stroke, heart failure or high blood pressure
- Childbirth complications: pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, intrauterine growth retardation and breach presentation
Verdict: $1 million
My client was a young woman with a prior history of an ovarian tumor that had been removed. Her surgeon advised close follow-up to check for recurrence. She subsequently was enrolled in an HMO. The HMO assigned a nurse practitioner to follow her, instead of a physician specialist. As a result, the tumor returned and grew unchecked, leading to her death from ovarian cancer. This was my second case involving the rare cancer known as teratoma.
Settlement: $800,000
My client was the father of two children. He had a mole surgically removed from his neck seven years before he came to me. It fit the description of cancer: changed color, ragged edges. The pathologist who looked at the biopsy said it was not cancer. Years later a mole reappeared in the same location. My client went to the doctor, who again removed it and sent it to a pathologist for review. This time it was correctly diagnosed as skin cancer (melanoma). The new pathologist reviewed the old slide and determined the first mole had also been cancerous. Because the pathologist failed to diagnose the cancer, and the physician did not remove an additional two centimeters of skin around the initial mole, my client had a recurrence of cancer, which spread to his brain and led to his premature death.
Settlement: $1.95 million
I represented the family of a man who died due to misdiagnosis and consequent mistreatment of his serious medical condition. He arrived in the emergency room of a major university hospital complaining of pain. He had severe pancreatitis, but was admitted on a non-critical basis. The next morning he was found dead.
Settlement: $2.5 million
I represented a client who suffered a massive stroke because of a misread CT scan. When a blood clot in her brain went undiagnosed, my client suffered a massive stroke that ultimately resulted in the wrongful death of this 33-year-old woman.
Call 312-580-0650 or contact me by e-mail to schedule your free consultation on a medical malpractice claim. I am a Chicago medical malpractice and Hyde Park failure to diagnose attorney who will make home and hospital visits to meet your needs.
