Atlanta Meningitis Misdiagnosis Cases
If not identified and treated appropriately, meningitis can cause significant and sometimes even fatal harm to a patient in Atlanta. Unfortunately, many symptoms of meningitis strongly resemble those associated with other diseases and conditions, so if a medical professional is not careful, they may end up misdiagnosing a case of meningitis and causing avoidable harm to a patient.
If this scenario happened to you or a family member, you may have experienced severe physical, financial, and personal losses as a result. A seasoned medical malpractice lawyer could help you file a civil case against the Atlanta doctor responsible for your meningitis misdiagnosis and work to pursue compensation for all the damages you experienced. With the aid of an in-house doctor, state-of-the-art presentation technology, and years of experience, attorneys could help you reach a favorable courtroom outcome.
How Meningitis Misdiagnoses Happen
Meningitis is often misdiagnosed as encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain, and it is sometimes wrongfully identified as a sinus infection, various viral infections, or the flu. Some meningitis patients have even been misdiagnosed with Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which is a condition caused from being bitten by a tick that is infected with bacteria. All those conditions and illnesses mimic meningitis and can be confused with meningitis.
Being misdiagnosed with something other than meningitis can happen when healthcare providers are not thorough in their workup of patients who present with symptoms of meningitis, do not order the appropriate tests to diagnose meningitis, or incorrectly interpret the results of tests that could confirm meningitis. Healthcare providers might also fail to communicate the test results, fail to properly interpret the test results, or fail to start the proper treatment in a meningitis case.
Because bacterial meningitis can be serious when those misdiagnoses happen, the consequences are often catastrophic. If someone in Atlanta is seriously injured as a result of meningitis because he was not promptly and accurately diagnosed and treated, he could be eligible for compensation.
Potentially At-Fault Parties
In addition to primary care doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners can also be involved in diagnoses and could be liable for misdiagnoses. In some situations, residents or physicians in training may be responsible for medical decision-making and diagnosing.
Lab technicians who run appropriate tests and physicians who interpret lab tests or test results, such as MRIs or scans, could also be involved and at fault for misdiagnoses. Furthermore, nurses may be partially liable for failing to carry out treatment orders, such as administering IV antibiotics.
Finally, if a patient’s care took place at a hospital, the hospital itself could be held responsible for a misdiagnosis if it did not have adequate systems in place to allow for prompt diagnosis and testing to treat meningitis patients. When litigating meningitis misdiagnosis cases, Atlanta attorneys investigate every potentially responsible party to ensure that the patient receives the best advocacy possible for their case.
Taking Action after a Meningitis Misdiagnosis in Atlanta
The first thing that patients should do after discovering their meningitis was misdiagnosed is ensure that they are receiving appropriate medical care for meningitis. There are many different forms of meningitis, and some can be extremely dangerous if not treated promptly and effectively.
Once they have received appropriate medical attention, Atlanta meningitis misdiagnosis victims should consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney to preserve their rights and determine if they have a valid claim. Legal action could bring them much-needed compensation to make up for the injuries and losses they suffered due to their healthcare provider’s negligence. Reach out to a team of attorneys who take calls at all hours and offer free case reviews today.
