A $6.4 million jury award was granted to an individual that suffered a stroke in 2007 due to alleged medical malpractice. He and his wife claim that a failure of doctors to diagnose an infection is what ultimately led to an acute stroke.
It has been asserted that the doctor made a diagnosis on the patient back in 1996 that he suffered from mitral valve prolapse. This condition will apparently cause a valve at the heart not close as tightly as it should. Though later echocardiograms taken indicated that this condition continued to persist, no follow-up echocardiograms were ordered after 2001. The patient was never referred to a cardiologist – even after the patient began complaining about a number of symptoms in April and May of 2007.
Rather than have the patient admitted to the hospital, the doctor apparently was waiting on the results of particular tests. It was on June 12, 2007 that the patient suffered his stroke.
Whatever the circumstances may be, the patient's attorney apparently was able to convince the jury that medical malpractice did take place. Though the lawsuit was not tried in Ohio, the verdict was one of the largest ever for that particular region.
The reason why it is such a significant claim is because, like in this patient's circumstances, a delayed diagnosis and failure to treat a symptom or disease will only make the symptoms worse. Patients are ultimately forced to undergo a large amount of suffering that might have been avoided if the condition was diagnosed and treated immediately.
Most doctors will do all that they can to help their patients. However, some doctors will fail to provide the needed tests, examinations and analysis to accurately diagnose a patient’s condition and come up with a treatment plan.
Attorneys can help such patients determine whether the doctor did what every doctor should do in their position. Sadly, nothing can be done to reverse what has already occurred.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Maryland Heights couple win $6.4 million medical malpractice verdict," Walker Moskop, July 9, 2013