Pittsburgh, PA Emergency Room Errors Lawyer
When mistakes are made in the emergency room, the results can be devastating. For instance, if the emergency room staff fails to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack or fails to promptly treat a serious infection, the results can be fatal.
The medical malpractice lawyers at Chaffin Luhana represent individuals and families that are affected by emergency room errors such as:
- Failure to identify symptoms of an emergency condition such as a heart attack
- Failure to treat an infection
- Failure to communicate with staff or with the patient
- Misdiagnosing a problem such as appendicitis
- Sending a patient home with an unresolved problem
Most emergency room errors are caused by a misdiagnosis of symptoms. This is often because the doctor may not have all the information he or she needs to make a proper diagnosis. Things that could be missing include a record of abnormal vital signs such as heart rate or blood pressure, lack of timely access to certain lab reports, information lost in shift change, or a missing medical history.
There is no room for error, oversight or lack of communication in an emergency situation. However, due to the high volume of patients and chaos, the emergency room is among the top hospital departments responsible for malpractice. Because of this, doctors and nurses should pay closer attention and should communicate with one another to make sure a patient is not sent home without proper treatment.
The following are just some things doctors and nurses should be doing in the emergency room to prevent problems from occurring:
- Completing full assessments on patients with any symptoms that could indicate a heart attack or stroke
- Admitting patients to the hospital who are having chest pains to test for heart attack
- Huddling before a patient is discharged to promote communication and to allow nurses to stop the process if they see anything abnormal that may have been overlooked
Harmed by Emergency Room Errors?
If you believe that you or someone you love suffered serious consequences because of improper treatment at the emergency room, you can seek help from the medical malpractice attorneys at Chaffin Luhana. We represent individuals and families in medical malpractice cases in the Ohio Valley area in West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio in a variety of medical malpractice cases, including those involving emergency room mistakes.
At Chaffin Luhana, we believe that health care providers have a responsibility to protect us from harm. When mistakes are made we fight to hold the responsible parties accountable. If you believe that your condition was made more severe or that your loved one died because of a missed diagnosis at the emergency room, you should contact Chaffin Luhana for help as soon as possible. The sooner we can start an investigation, the better. To schedule your private consultation, contact us today.