New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog
A woman who was discharged from a hospital emergency room before her stroke-like symptoms could be diagnosed and treated was successful in her medical malpractice case. The case began when the woman went to the hospital because of numbness in her left hand, slurred speech, some left facial drooping, a headache, and decreased sensation to light touch of her left hand and foot. After noting that the woman had a history of migraine headaches, the doctor ordered a CT scan of the brain and prescribed pain medication. The scan did not rule out a bleeding stroke, and the woman was transferred to another doctor in the emergency room. She continued to experience nausea, severe head pain in the area of her right eye, an inability to complete sentences, and weakness on her left side. The second doctor then did a routine neurologic examination, during which he assessed the woman’s cranial nerves, cerebella functions, speech, and motor strength and sensation. Finding no abnormalities, he ordered pain medication for her headache, and discharged her. Later that day, the woman’s primary care physician ordered an MRI, which revealed an infarct (an area of dead tissue caused by a lack of oxygen). At that point she was admitted to another hospital, where more tests revealed that she had an ischemic stroke (a cerebral infarction caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen and blood as a result of a blocked artery).
The woman’s injuries would have been less severe if she had been admitted to the first hospital for a 24 hour observation period rather than discharged. At that point it would have become clear that she had suffered an ischemic stroke, at which point she could have been given a thrombolytic agent. The jury found that the failure to admit her was a deviation from reasonable medical care, and a substantial factor in her symptoms becoming worse.
If you or someone you know was injured by an act of medical malpractice in an emergency room, or by any other act of medical malpractice, you need a New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer. The lawyers at Bilkis & Associates can evaluate your case, and get you the damages you deserve for the injuries you have suffered. For a free consultation with a New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer, call us at 1-800-NYNY-LAW (1-800-696-9529)
The firm of Stephen Bilkis & Associates and its New York Medical Malpractice Lawyers with convenient locations in the New York Metropolitan Area, including Bay Ridge, NY, can be of invaluable assistance to you if you find yourself a victim of medical malpractice. Enduring pain, disfigurement and financial anguish without professional representation is not the path you should choose.