Strokes are a leading cause of long-term disability and death. Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke, and every four minutes, someone dies of a stroke. The longer the stroke goes undiagnosed, the more likely the patient will suffer paralysis, weakness on one side of the body, cognitive impairment, inability to regulate emotions and other effects. Because of the stroke’s potential for serious, long-term disability and death, it’s crucial to diagnose a stroke as early as possible.
Failure to diagnose a stroke
What happens when your doctor fails to diagnose a stroke? Patients trust their doctors to recognize the symptoms of a stroke, especially because it’s such a common condition. About 800,000 people in America have a stroke per year, and the vast majority of them are first-time occurrences.
Strokes occur when blood vessels burst in the brain, or the blood supply to the brain is blocked. The brain can’t get oxygen. When brain cells are oxygen-starved, they start to die within minutes.
The signs of a stroke include sudden numbness and confusion, difficulty seeing, walking or lack of coordination and severe headache with no known cause. There are also more subtle signs of a stroke, of which doctors should be aware.
Failure to diagnose a stroke could happen for a number of reasons: perhaps the doctor was too overworked, tired and stressed. Maybe they confused the symptoms for another condition, or failed to take into account family history of stroke. There may be lab errors, or they may improperly analyze test results.
Whatever the reason a doctor fails to diagnose a stroke, working with a personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Tim Misny is critical.
What to do next
If your doctor failed to diagnose your stroke in a timely manner, you may experience lifelong repercussions. After you’re stable, call the Law Offices of Tim Misny. Medical providers who fail to diagnose such a common and critical condition may not have performed up to the appropriate standard of care.
Because strokes can cause lifelong problems, such as partial paralysis, weakness and cognitive decline, it can take months or years to recover. Some patients never fully recover. We can fight to hold negligent healthcare providers responsible—and get you the compensation you need to cover your medical bills, lost wages and more. When you call, we’ll review your case and determine whether you have a viable medical malpractice lawsuit.
Talk to an Ohio medical malpractice lawyer today
You shouldn’t have to bear the costs of your medical malpractice injuries alone. If a doctor, nurse or other healthcare provider failed to diagnose a stroke, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call me today at (800) 556-4769 to discuss your case.
