Strokes are the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States. About 140,000 Americans die from strokes every year. The figures for non-fatal strokes are even more staggering at about 795,000 a year in the United States.
It is extremely important that a person who has suffered a stroke receive medical care as soon as possible, since up to two million brain cells can die for every minute a stroke remains unaddressed. Given that reality, if you or a loved one ever experiences any of the symptoms of a stroke, seek medical attention at once.
In a perfect world, any doctor, nurse, or other health care provider who treats someone for a stroke would run the proper tests and identify immediately whether the patient is having or has recently had a stroke. In fact, doctors occasionally misidentify or totally miss that a stroke has occurred. As a result, the patient’s health worsens, sometimes catastrophically.
A doctor missing the signs of a stroke could qualify as medical malpractice. If this has happened to you, Latona Law wants to hear from you. Our skilled stroke lawyers in Scranton, PA are experts in prosecuting medical negligence cases to win you the financial compensation you deserve.
Warning Signs of a Stroke
Strokes are caused usually in one of two major ways. The most common type is an ischemic stroke, which involves a blood clot that suddenly breaks loose in the body and travels to the brain. The brain is therefore deprived of oxygen, and brain cells start to die. Meanwhile, a hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a brain artery bursting, causing blood to seep into brain tissue and damage cells.
When either of these types of stroke occurs, an individual will typically experience one or several of these symptoms:
- Numbness or weakness on one side of the body
- Paralysis
- Slurred speech
- Difficulty understanding
- Confusion
- Loss of balance
- Intense headache
Of course, if you are not a doctor, you might not even realize that you or a loved one has had a stroke at all. But when you realize something is wrong, it is important that you see a doctor as soon as you can to prevent further brain damage.
Ideally, a doctor will examine the patient, check on current medications, or perform a blood test, CT scan, or MRI. All of this information together will tell the doctor whether a stroke occurred. If the patient indeed suffered a stroke, doctors would normally treat the individual with anticoagulant or thrombolytic (clot-breaking) drugs, stents inserted into narrowed arteries, or surgery to remove the blood clot. The sooner any of these treatments are enacted, the more brain damage can be prevented.
Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Scranton
Doctors who fail to diagnose or misdiagnose a stroke and thereby cause further harm in their patients must be held responsible. In the legal community, they are said to be negligent if they make decisions that more competent doctors would not have made.
Latona Law has been fighting preventable medical malpractice for more than 30 years. Nothing brings us greater joy than helping Pennsylvania families just like yours to secure financial compensation for the injuries, pain, and suffering caused by negligent doctors. Our medical malpractice law firm wants to fight for justice for your family.
Contact us today for a free consultation on your misdiagnosed stroke case. See what we can do for you.