Emergency Room Diagnosis Errors

Many cases of ER malpractice involve diagnostic errors. A missed diagnosis is common when the patient doesn’t have what is considered a classic presentation. However, doctors are expected to be aware of the atypical signs and symptoms of disease as well. Some examples include:

• More than 50 percent of pulmonary embolisms (400,000 patients annually) are misdiagnosed as pneumonia, chronic lung disease, or another ailment.
• 30 percent of abdominal aortic aneurysms are misdiagnosed due to a lack of the classic triad of symptoms (pain, hypotension, and a pulsating mass as the heart tries to pump blood to the body) even though more than 50 percent of patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms do not have the classic signs.
• Nearly 25 percent of bacterial meningitis is mis-diagnosed due to the lack of the classic triad of headache, fever, and a stiff neck.
• 14 percent of strokes are misdiagnosed form various reasons such as failure to adhere to the AHA and American Stroke Association’s established stroke management guidelines, timely refer the patient to a stroke care team, take an adequate patient history, order and correctly interpret test, and obtain appropriate consultation.
• Up to 30 percent of patients with an aortic dissection are misdiagnosed, even though aortic dissections are common in vehicular crashes.
• 8 percent of acute myocardial infarctions are missed annually due to things like failure to take an adequate history, misinterpretation of an EKG, and lack of training and experience. Many times it is missed because the patient doesn’t report suffering from pain in the chest and left arm, a classic symptom of a heart attack. However, 42 percent of women and 31 percent of men do not experience these symptoms.

In order to pursue a misdiagnosis lawsuit, you must prove that a doctor’s negligence lead to your suffering. Some illnesses are more difficult to diagnose than others and you may not show the common signs and symptoms of the disease. We have access to medical experts who can help us determine whether your doctor should have diagnosed your disease in its early stages.

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If you or a loved one were injured due to negligent emergency room care, or if you have questions about possible malpractice, contact our firm online or by telephone.