When you are suffering from a sickness or have become injured, you visit one of the many great healthcare facilities in New York to receive treatment. You expect, while there, that you will receive the proper treatment that allows you to make a full recovery. Most of the time, this is what you will receive. Unfortunately, things do go wrong in the medical industry and an error can occur.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, there is one type of medical error that is more common than any other type. That error is a medical misdiagnosis, and it hurts millions of patients each year.
What Constitutes a Medical Misdiagnosis?
Medical misdiagnosis is a medical mistake that occurs when someone is suffering from one condition but a doctor diagnoses them with another illness. When this happens, patients will not receive the proper treatment they need for their condition. They may also receive unnecessary treatment for an illness they do not have.
It is not always easy to determine when a medical misdiagnosis is a mistake that could have been avoided. Doctors often have to use a trial and error method when diagnosing a patient. They will recommend one treatment and only when it does not work will they try another. It is always important to speak to a New York medical malpractice lawyer to determine when an error is a medical malpractice.
Medical Misdiagnosis and The Big Three
Doctors can misdiagnose nearly any condition, and it can happen at any time. However, there are some conditions that are much more likely to be misdiagnosed than others. These conditions are known as the big three and they include:
- Infections: Infections pose a great deal of danger to those suffering from one. If an infection is not properly diagnosed, it will only become worse and that can be fatal for a patient. This is especially true with sepsis, which is an extreme bodily reaction to an infection.
- Vascular events: Vascular events affect the arteries and veins within a body. Of all vascular events that are commonly misdiagnosed, strokes are the most common. Pulmonary embolisms are also common. This condition occurs when a blood clot develops, usually in the leg, and then travels to the lung where it blocks blood flow. If left untreated, this condition has the potential to be fatal.
- Cancer: Cancer of any kind is the condition that is most likely to be missed by doctors. Any cancer misdiagnosis can be devastating and result in loss of life. Of all the different types of cancers, lung cancer is the one that is most likely to be misdiagnosed.
The majority of medical misdiagnoses, including the above conditions, occur during emergency situations or in outpatient settings where people are sent home.
Our Albany Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help After a Misdiagnosis
If you or someone you love has been harmed by a misdiagnosis, our Albany medical malpractice lawyer can help. At Powers & Santola, LLP, our skilled attorney has the necessary experience with complex medical malpractice cases and we will put that expertise to work for you.
