People struggling with pain and related health issues seek treatment so they can get help from professionals. Unfortunately, professionals still make mistakes, some of which can be life-changing or fatal.
Florida law defines medical malpractice as any injury or death resulting from the negligence of a healthcare provider. That includes doctors, hospitals, and more. Here are some of the most common types of medical malpractice.
Delayed or Mistaken Diagnosis
One of the top types of medical malpractice claims in Florida is misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosis can lead to ineffective treatment and death. Common misdiagnoses include blot clots and heart attacks.
Mistaken diagnoses cause delays in lifesaving treatments and may lead patients to receive the wrong type of treatment or medication.
Medication Mistakes
Being prescribed the wrong kind of medication can lead to dangerous drug interactions, painful side effects, and death.
In 2017, a hospital nurse fatally injected a 75-year-old woman with a paralytic instead of a sedative. Authorities said the nurse mistakenly grabbed the wrong medication after using an override on an automatic medicine dispensing cabinet.
Medication errors may not always appear as being prescribed the wrong drug. They also include incorrect dosages or prescriptions that result in dangerous interactions. These can happen when medical providers misread prescription labels or otherwise act without diligence.
In a similar vein lies anesthesia errors and injuries.
Surgical Issues
Surgery comes with inherent risks; a lesser-known one is having surgical tools left behind in your body. Though complex, a seasoned Florida medical malpractice lawyer knows what options you have available to you in these types of medical malpractice cases.
Florida law specifically mentions the discovery of foreign bodies including sponges, clamps, forceps, and surgical needles. For years, these items can stay trapped inside unwitting patients, some of whom may be struggling with chronic pain or other issues that can ultimately be traced back to those forgotten tools.
A 2018 medical journal report said that a 42-year-old woman complaining of prolonged bloating was found to have two medical sponges in her abdomen. It was discovered that the sponges were left behind during C-sections that took place years earlier. However, it remained unclear if the sponges were left behind in the surgery that was six years earlier or one that was nine years earlier.
Her bloating was immediately resolved upon removal of the sponges.
An unrelated lawsuit filed that same year detailed a case in which a surgeon reportedly lost a needle inside a man undergoing heart surgery. The lawsuit said the surgeon tried to remove the misplaced needle but couldn’t, though the reason why is unclear. The man died about a month later.
Patients who escape misplaced tools may still find themselves struggling with surgical errors such as punctured organs or similarly debilitating injuries. Surgeons also have been accused of performing surgery on the wrong patient or performing surgery on the right patient, but the wrong body part.
Birth Injuries
It’s a terrible reality that birth injuries are one of the most common types of medical malpractice claims.
Birth injuries can cause lifelong health issues such as cerebral palsy. Such injuries may lead to additional medical expenses for surgery, therapy, medication, and other possible treatment avenues.
In 1988, Florida created a group dedicated to handling related medical malpractice claims. The Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, while not a state organization, manages the state’s funds that are set aside to help pay for the care of infants born with certain neurological injuries.
Have you suffered from any of these types of medical malpractice?
If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you must work with an experienced Florida medical malpractice attorney who will work with you to create the strongest possible case for compensation.
Not only does Florida limit how long people have to file medical malpractice claims, but it also leaves the burden of medical malpractice proof on plaintiffs, many of whom may be distracted by pain and newfound limitations.
A Florida medical malpractice lawyer like those at Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath will fight for the compensation you need so you can focus on recovering.
In Florida, you may be entitled to three different award types: compensatory, punitive, and non-economic, the latter of which includes damages such as emotional suffering.
Contact Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath today for a free case evaluation. You deserve better; let us help.
No matter where you are, one of our offices can help.
