Medical Negligence and Resulting Brain Injuries
A brain injury can change someone’s life forever, and it can also impact their family, friends, and other loved ones. Nearly 1.7 million Americans suffer a brain injury every year. Of these 260,000 are hospitalized for a serious injury and 50,000 lose their life. Unfortunately, up to 60% of brain injuries are the result of another person’s negligence. Negligence can occur from a very broad range of actions; one of these includes medical malpractice. If you believe your family member suffered a brain injury, or a pre-existing brain injury was made worse, through a medical error, you should consult a personal injury lawyer who has experience with these types of cases.
Causes of a Brain Injury from Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice that leads to a brain injury can take many different forms, including:
Birth Injuries: A competent obstetrician and team of other medical professionals is vital to the birth and delivery of a newborn child. The obstetrician has many responsibilities including ordering tests, making diagnoses during the pregnancy, and using the right technique during the delivery and birth. Poor decisions, or lack of, during the mother’s pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care of the child, could result in various birth defects, including brain damage and cerebral palsy.
Failing to Diagnose: Most people are familiar with the term concussion, and many more have experienced one at some point in their life. Repeated concussion or head injuries can cause permanent brain damage; something that has been proven in professional sports leagues such as the NFL, and led to multi-million dollar lawsuits. If a doctor fails to diagnose a concussion, even a mild concussion, and the patient suffers from another trauma to the head, the effects could be life-threatening.
Wrong Medication: Prescribing and medicating a patient is a delicate process that takes years to perfect. The right medication can have miraculous results, but the wrong one could be deadly. The prescribing doctor has a duty to consider all risks and side effects that the medication could have on a patient. Failing to review the patient’s medical history, records, or symptoms could cause a brain injury.
Complications During Surgery: Any surgery performed on the brain carries risks. One small mistake may lead to infections, bleeding, and other complications that threaten the life of the patient. If they recover, there is a chance that they will have permanent brain damage.
Complications During Anesthesia: Anesthesia is given before a surgical procedure by a certified anesthesiologist. This type of sedation is vital to surgery but contains numerous risks. Too much or too little of the drug, a bad reaction, or expired medication can cause brain damage and death.
Have You or a Loved One Been the Victim of Medical Malpractice?
If you or a family member suffered brain damage from a medical error, it is important to consult a brain injury lawyer trusts as quickly as possible.
