Indianapolis Medical Malpractice Lawyers for Misdiagnosis of Staph Infections
Patients rely on their medical professionals to evaluate symptoms of an ailment, offer a diagnosis, and treat the condition. When a doctor or healthcare professional fails to diagnose a serious condition, the patient can suffer from serious injury and possibly death.
Staphylococcus or staph for short is a type of bacteria that is very common and is actually present in the body’s natural bacterial fauna. Staph can create an infection when a person’s immunity is compromised or when the skin is cut. Staphylococcus bacteria can cause boils on the skin, antibiotic-resistant infections, or flesh-eating infections based on the strength of the infection and how treatable it is with antibiotics.
Antibiotics are commonly used to treat staph infections. However, healthcare professionals need to be aware of the effectiveness of the antibiotics as some staph bacteria have become resistant to certain antibiotics. If a staph infection is left untreated or is not treated with a strong enough medication, it can become more severe and spread throughout the body.
Bacteremia is the term used for a staph infection of the blood. The blood can become infected when staph bacteria are introduced to the body through a wound or other infection. If the bacteremia is not diagnosed and properly treated, it can increase in severity and become septicemia. Septicemia is a life-threatening infection in the blood that can migrate to the lungs, urinary tract, or stomach. Septicemia can lead to respiratory failure if not properly diagnosed and treated.
Symptoms of staph infections of the blood include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, and shortness of breath. Intravenous antibiotics are typically used to treat staph infections of the blood. These types of staph infections are very serious and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice Claim
Patient presented to Hospital Emergency Department in Martinsville, Indiana, with vomiting, high fever, and other symptoms. A blood culture was done which showed that the patient had a staph aureus bacteremia (a staph infection in his blood). Patient was discharged from the Hospital with oral antibiotics–the correct treatment for staph aureus bacteremia is several weeks of strong, intravenous antibiotics. Patient developed endocarditis and tricuspid valve insufficiency and required the replacement of his tricuspid heart valve at age 25. Case settled for maximum amount permitted by law.
Indiana Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Medical personnel are trained to recognize symptoms of various ailments so that a proper diagnosis can be given. When a physician or healthcare professional misdiagnoses a condition and fails to provide the proper treatment for a patient, the impact can be significant. The patient may become permanently injured or die. If you or someone you care about suffered a serious injury as a result of a healthcare professional’s misdiagnosis and failure to treat a medical condition such as Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia contact us. Our experienced Indianapolis medical malpractice attorneys have litigated cases originating from Martinsville, Muncie, Bloomington, Lafayette, Lake County, Kokomo, and all across the state of Indiana and can discuss your Indiana medical malpractice claim with you and inform you of your legal rights and options.
There is no fee for your initial consultation and we do not collect fees until your claim is paid. Cohen & Malad, LLP has earned a well-respected reputation as a tough litigation firm in the courtroom and during negotiations and can bring Power to Your Voice.
