Failing To Diagnose Or Properly Treat Pancreatitis

Medical errors related to treatment for pancreatitis usually relates to a doctor’s failure to timely diagnose the condition or wrongly diagnosing the patient (misdiagnoses).  Any time an illness is not timely diagnosed, the patient’s chances of complete recovery are reduced.  Misdiagnoses cause the patient to undergo treatments that were not medically necessary.

Experienced medical malpractice attorneys know that misdiagnosed and negligently undiagnosed illnesses cause real and substantial harm to patients.  Medical professionals can be held accountable for these mistakes by a patient’s initiation of a medical malpractice law suit.

Internal digestion is aided by the pancreas, which is a gland in the human body.  Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is inflamed.  Heredity can influence whether or not a person falls ill to pancreatitis.  But abdomen injuries can cause it.  Other causes are infections, prescription medicine, alcohol abuse, and gallstones.

Chronic pancreatitis will cause the patient to suffer pain, confusion, weight loss, fatigue, and headaches.  Acute pancreatitis will cause this too along with fevers, vomiting, and increased heart rate.  Other symptoms occur as well and your medical professional should be aware of these and others.

It is sad to report that some patients are not diagnosed with pancreatitis until an autopsy is performed.  Some research suggests that pancreatitis misdiagnoses rates exceed forty percent.  Proper patient treatment via laboratory testing and physical exams can help a doctor timely diagnose pancreatitis.  But if a medical professional did not follow the proper standards and protocols, mistakes can occur and the condition could be missed.

Experienced medical malpractice attorneys can help you determine if your undiagnosed or misdiagnosed pancreatitis is compensable.  Your medical records will be reviewed and analyzed by experts.  Experts will determine if your doctor breached the standard of care owed to you.  Experts will also link your injuries to that failure.  And any injuries caused by the error along with related damages can be claimed for compensation.

It is very important to contact an attorney as soon as possible.  This is because New York has a unique statute of limitations related to medical malpractice.  This statute requires patient plaintiffs to commence medical malpractice litigation no later than two and a half years after the doctor’s mistake was made.  Missing this date does not prevent an injured patient from suing, but the defendant doctor will plead the statute of limitations violation as a defense.  If the doctor’s defense is successful, the injured patient will be barred from recovering.

Note, however, there are certain circumstances in which the limitations period will be tolled and recovery could be gained even though the limitations period expired.  Your experienced medical malpractice attorney knows these tolling provisions and can help you determine if they apply.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.