Medical Malpractice Lawyers

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Misdiagnosis

 

"I was informed and advised of the nature and significance of the developments in the case as to how the trial would proceed. I give the law firm my highest recommendation." — E.D.

 

Misdiagnosis is a frighteningly common form of medical negligence, which happens most often in the emergency room, but can also result from a regular office visit. The results of misdiagnosis are typically delayed treatment, no treatment, or treatment for the wrong condition, all of which can have devastating health effects.

 

Delayed or lack of treatment
Delayed treatment allows a condition to progress, causing additional damage, or even death. This delay typically results in harsher, more dangerous, longer lasting, more painful and more expensive treatments, significantly reducing a person's chance of survival or recovery. A delay or lack of treatment can result in permanent injury or immediate death.

 

The outcome for patients that survive a misdiagnosis usually falls into one of three categories:

 

• A more harmful second occurrence as a result of total lack of treatment and lack of knowledge of an event, such as a heart attack.

• Immediate, permanent damage due to misdiagnosis of something, such as a stroke, which must be properly treated within minutes to minimize the effects. This can mean permanent brain injury and permanent disability.

• More aggressive treatment with a reduced chance of survival or recovery for conditions such as cancer, which advance when left untreated.

 

Treatment for a non-existent condition
Treatment for a condition you do not have can mean undergoing unnecessary, painful and life threatening treatments, possibly resulting in permanent disability, damage to your health, and even death. In the meantime, if there is some other condition present, it is going untreated and progressing further.

 

Patients in perfect health have undergone years of painful, expensive, life-threatening and life-altering treatment due to a false positive readings on routine tests. Patients displaying no symptoms should always be re-tested before undergoing treatment for a serious illness. Always get a second opinion.

 

Recovery

There are three important aspects of recovering from misdiagnosis: physical, emotional and financial. Sadly, many patients will not be able to recover physically or emotionally. However, with the proper medical care, and the support of their loved ones, some patients can make a full come-back and regain their health.

 

Depending on the type of misdiagnosis and the type of damage it has caused, the means to medical recovery will vary. If the damage is done, such as brain injury from an undiagnosed stroke, recovery will involve therapy and rehabilitation to regain as much function as possible. Victims of a misdiagnosed stroke will often require lifetime care.

In the case of a condition that is still progressing, the condition itself must be treated, albeit much more aggressively, with the skeptical patient placing his or her life in the hands of a medical system that is now under suspicion.

 

The treatments required for recovery from misdiagnosis are typically far more expensive than treatment would have been with a proper original diagnosis, and of course, they are in addition to any expense that has already been incurred while treating the wrong condition. Getting the compensation you need and deserve may be the only way that you can afford the treatment you now require. If you or a loved one has been harmed or killed as a result of misdiagnosis by a physician or hospital, you may be entitled to the following forms of compensation:

 

• Past medical bills for procedures you did not need
• Future medical bills to treat the now worsened condition
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Counseling or psychiatric treatment
• Past and future lost wages
• In-home care
• Long-term care
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of companionship
• Burial expenses

 

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by misdiagnosis in NY, please contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. Our firm proudly serves clients in the New York area, including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, New York City, and Long Island.

 

 

 

Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C.
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