Medical professionals may have a duty to address a variety of variables when attempting to diagnose and treat patients. In some cases, patients in North Carolina may present with symptoms that might prompt a need for additional testing and failure to consider this information could increase the risks of an incomplete or inaccurate diagnosis. A woman in another state was recently awarded a judgment of $1.3 million in a medical malpractice claim after an incident involving similar circumstances left her with severe injuries.
Recent lawsuit
Reports indicate that the incident began when a woman visited the hospital after experiencing stroke-related symptoms. She claims that some of her symptoms had already subsided upon arrival and says that doctors took no further actions after the results of a CT scan came back negative. While she had exhibited neurological symptoms that might typically call for further testing, she claims her doctors failed to take such measures and reports indicate that she suffered a stroke hours later while still in the facility.
The woman asserts the stroke may have been preventable had doctors considered her symptoms and provided an acceptable standard of care. She filed a lawsuit accusing her doctors of failing to diagnose and treat her condition and says that the incident caused her to suffer permanent harm. According to the lawsuit, the incident left her with limited use of her left hand, cause her to experience permanent changes to her voice, and caused her to suffer permanent weakness in her facial muscles.
Failure to diagnose
An inaccurate diagnosis could cause a person to go without the necessary care or prompt a path of treatment that might only make things worse. Individuals in North Carolina who suffer severe or permanent damage due to such negligence may be left with questions about what happened or in search of advice on their available legal avenues and the next steps to take. Fortunately, there are attorneys who can address the situation a person is facing and assist in preparing to seek the restitution entitled through a medical malpractice claim.