Visiting the emergency room is a very stressful experience. Depending on your complaints, emergency room triage means it could be hours before you’re moved into a bed, let alone examined by a doctor.
From delays in treatment to many other emergency room errors, things can go wrong every day. When these errors cause harm to patients, victims might end up filing emergency room negligence cases against doctors, hospitals, and other responsible parties.
You have legal rights if you are the victim of an emergency room mistake. Please contact an experienced New Mexico medical malpractice lawyer at Poulos & Coates to learn how we can assist you. In the meantime, here’s a look at the five most common emergency room mistakes.
- Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis
When an emergency room doctor fails to make the correct diagnosis, it can delay life-saving treatment. Treating you for the wrong condition or not treating you at all could have dire consequences. Misdiagnosing you means you won’t receive proper follow-up treatment, imaging studies, medication, etc.
A delayed diagnosis could result in death if you have a life-threatening condition, such as cancer, a stroke, or a heart attack.
- Surgical Errors
Patients visiting the emergency room might need to undergo emergency surgical procedures right away. Being rushed could lead to mistakes, such as leaving a foreign object in your body or causing internal damage. Sometimes, the surgeon might even operate on the wrong body part.
- Misreading or Interpreting Imaging Studies
Failure to accurately interpret or read imaging studies can create a domino effect of errors down the line. Examples include delayed treatment, unnecessary procedures, wrong prescription medicines, and more.
- Early Discharge
Hospitals are trying to get patients out of beds as soon as possible. That is especially true in emergency rooms across the country. Hospitals need space, which can lead to physicians discharging patients before they should be let go. If you’re released without proper medical supervision, you might end up right back in the hospital with worsening symptoms. An early discharge could lead to a patient’s death in extreme situations.
- Prescription Medication Mistakes
Sometimes, emergency room errors involve medication. Perhaps someone prescribed the wrong medication or the wrong dosage. Medication errors could lead to allergic reactions or devastating side effects. Swamped doctors in the emergency room can miss important information on your charts, like allergies or current medications you’re on. Prescribing something that interacts with existing drugs can create life-threatening side effects.
Contact a Las Cruces, New Mexico Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
Do you have questions about emergency room negligence cases? If you or someone you love is an emergency room error victim, please immediately speak with a medical malpractice lawyer at Poulos & Coates.
Medical malpractice cases are notoriously tricky and complex. You need a skilled legal advocate who has experience with medical malpractice lawsuits.
Our firm specializes in medical malpractice cases. We know how challenging it is to deal with the aftermath of emergency room errors. Don’t attempt to handle your case independently.
Our emergency room malpractice lawyers know how to build a solid case and help you preserve the evidence needed to prove the defendants are liable for your injuries.
Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation to learn more about how we can assist you.
Victor Poulos
Vic Poulos & Greig Coates became law partners in April of 2002, when the two medical malpractice litigators merged their offices, combining what is now over seventy years of litigation experience, to form Poulos & Coates, LLP. Licensed to practice before all State Courts of Texas, New Mexico, Iowa, and Kansas. Licensed to practice before the United States District Courts of Kansas, Iowa, New Mexico, and Texas (Western, Eastern, Southern, and Northern Districts of Texas), as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.X. Ax Court.
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