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Correctly diagnosing a disease can mean the difference between life and death. Healthcare providers must thoroughly investigate the condition of a patient when that patient shows symptoms of a medical problem. Failing to diagnose a patient with an illness or diagnosing a patient with the wrong disease can result in life-long damage or early death.
When a patient has symptoms or complaints, the doctor is responsible to devote all appropriate resources to investigate the patient's condition. A thorough investigation might include closely examining or updating the patient's medical history, conducting extensive physical examinations, testing blood, taking tissue samples for biopsy, and referring the patient to a specialist when appropriate. More advanced testing such as a CT scan or an ultrasound may also be necessary depending on the symptoms presented and the possible causes.
Patients who have been misdiagnosed often undergo unnecessary surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or other risky treatments with serious potential side effects. Doctors may administer unnecessary medication or subject these patients to series of uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous tests and unnecessary medication that can lead to seriously bad reactions. Among the conditions commonly misdiagnosed are:
- appendicitis;
- bacterial meningitis;
- breast cancer;
- cervical cancer;
- diabetes;
- heart attack;
- lung cancer;
- ovarian cancer;
- prostate cancer;
- pulmonary embolism;
- lyme disease;
- rabies;
- stroke;
- testicular cancer;
- tuberculosis;
- and more
If you or someone you love has been misdiagnosed, call our New York Medical Malpractice Attorneys today.
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PERSONAL INJURY
