Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Misdiagnosis of Heart Condition
July 10, 2015The family of a Talbot County teen who suffered irreversible heart failure after a series of misdiagnoses and medical mistakes has filed a lawsuit against the doctors and hospitals responsible for the boy’s care. The lawsuit claims that medical malpractice and negligence on behalf of the University of Maryland Medical Center and Shore Medical Center in Easton led to the destruction of the teenager’s heart and need for a heart transplant. Also named as defendants are three doctors, a radiologist, and a radiology lab.
The young teen was just two days shy of his 15th birthday in August of 2013, when a radiologist misdiagnosed his pending heart failure as walking pneumonia. When his condition worsened, his family brought him to the emergency room at Shore Medical Center in Easton. There, a doctor correctly diagnosed the boy’s heart failure, but failed to stop the administration of fluids, which likely worsened the condition. The following day, the teenage patient was airlifted to the University of Maryland Medical Center wherein another doctor changed the diagnosis from heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy to septic shock. The patient was treated with even more fluids, which continued three hours after an urgent order for fluid restriction and diuretics was ordered due to a worsening of his heart failure. Though his condition eventually improved, the teen’s heart suffered irreversible damage caused by the enormous amounts of fluids he was given while under the care of both hospitals.
The teen underwent a needed heart transplant in December 2013. Now 16 years old, he faces a lifetime of anti-rejection medications and regular doctors visits. There is also a strong likelihood he will need one or more heart transplants in the future. His family contends that all of this could have been avoided if the teenager had been properly diagnosed and treated from the start. The lawsuit seeks compensation for all future medical expenses and additional losses.
Mistreatment of Heart Failure all too Common
Standard hospital protocol for heart failure patients typically includes treatment with diuretic drugs designed to prevent the fluid buildup that can worsen the condition. However, a recent study by researchers at Yale University suggests that far too many heart failure patients receive IV fluids early in their hospital stay, leading to adverse reactions. After observing the data from more than 130,000 hospitalizations of severe heart failure patients, researchers found that all of the patients received IV fluids during their first two days in the hospital and more than 11% were treated with IV fluids in addition to diuretics.
Compared to patients who received diuretics alone, those who received diuretics along with IV fluids were more likely to have serious problems such as a need for feeding tubes, dialysis, admission to a critical care unit, and a higher rate of death.
Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Advocate for Patients with Heart Failure Harmed by Hospital Malpractice
If you or someone you love was misdiagnosed or received improper treatment for heart failure that led to a worsening of the condition, you may be entitled to compensation. Maryland medical malpractice lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton have helped victims of hospital negligence and doctor mistakes obtain large financial awards in verdicts and settlements to help with the high costs associated with their injuries caused by medical mistakes.
To discuss your possible medical malpractice claim with one of our experienced and highly skilled Maryland medical malpractice lawyers, call our 24-hour toll free number at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or 410-727-4991 today to schedule your free consultation or contact us online. Our offices are conveniently located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, Maryland allowing us to serve clients throughout the state.
