It was only the beginning of her problems when a wife and mother in her forties suffered a heart attack. Taken to a Philadelphia hospital, she was treated for the heart attack but later suffered additional symptoms, including headache and vomiting. A resident in the intensive care unit prescribed pain and anti-nausea medicine but failed to perform a CT scan. Had he ordered the test, it would have revealed a large bleed in the frontal lobe of the woman’s brain and could have prevented a stroke that caused permanent brain damage. Today, the woman – whose name and the name of the hospital remain confidential under the terms of a legal agreement – cannot walk and has severe memory problems, unable to recall recent events and even simple facts like the ages of her children and husband. The incident occurred in 2013. Recently, Kline & Specter attorneys Shanin Specter and David Inscho negotiated a $15 million settlement for the woman, who remains in a residential facility. The cost of her future care has been estimated at more than $300,000 per year.
Cases of wrong or missed diagnoses are, unfortunately, quite common and can lead to serious injury and serious patient illnesses or even death. Among ailments that are most often misdiagnosed or missed by doctors are cancer, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, stroke, pulmonary emboli , diabetes, infections, multiple sclerosis, depression, Parkinson’s disease and meningitis. Kline & Specter, with five lawyers who are also doctors – the most of any law firm in the nation – is especially equipped to litigate cases of missed and misdiagnosis. Learn more…
