What are the Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Medical Settings?
Because health care providers are human beings just like the rest of us, they are not immune to making mistakes. Unfortunately, medical errors can have grave consequences, including patient death.
When this happens, the loved ones left behind are entitled to file a wrongful death lawsuit to seek compensation for the resulting pain, suffering, and economic loss. Here’s a closer look at some of the most common causes of medical malpractice deaths.
How Wrongful Death Most Often Occurs in a Health Care Setting
Misdiagnosis
It is a doctor’s responsibility to provide their patients with accurate diagnoses. Failure to do so delays treatment and can negatively affect the client’s likelihood of survival.
Heart attacks, for example, are frequently misdiagnosed because their symptoms can be similar to other common conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, costochondritis, and anxiety-induced panic attacks. If a doctor fails to perform basic tests like an electrocardiogram to rule out a cardiac issue, they could face a wrongful death lawsuit if the patient ends up passing away.
Surgery Error
There’s always a risk of injury or death when a surgery is performed due to its invasive nature. However, a wrongful death suit can be filed when complications occur as a result of a preventable mistake.
Common examples of surgical errors that could qualify as malpractice include operating on the wrong body part, making incisions in the wrong area, cutting the wrong nerve, or leaving a sponge or another medical instrument inside the body.
Medication Mistake
Administering the wrong medication to a patient can have serious repercussions. For instance, giving a non-diabetic patient insulin can cause hypoglycemia, which is a sudden and severe drop in blood sugar. This can lead to blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, and, in some cases, death.
There are several other ways in which health care professionals can make life-threatening medication errors. These include administering a drug improperly, administering an incorrect dosage, or failing to consider potentially harmful drug interactions before administering a medication to a patient.
If you think you may have grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit, get in touch with The Law Offices of Gallner & Pattermann, P.C. Since 1974, this firm has been fighting for accident victims in the Council Bluffs, IA, area, including advocacy for families devastated as a result of medical malpractice.
Visit their website to learn more about the firm and call (712) 323-0999 to speak with an attorney today.