Five Commonly Misdiagnosed Conditions in Florida
“Medical negligence” is a term that usually conjures up images of doctors leaving medical instruments and/or devices inside a patient following a surgery or operating on the wrong body part. Misdiagnosis mistakes – wherein a medical professional misreads your signs and symptoms and either diagnoses you with a disease you do not have or fails to notice that you do have a disease despite the presence of signs and symptoms.
Commonly Misdiagnosed Conditions in Florida
Some of the more commonly misdiagnosed conditions include:
- Cancer: Cancers such as melanoma, lymphoma, and breast cancer are some of the most misdiagnosed types of cancer not just in Florida but across the United States. According to EverydayHealth.com and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, anywhere between 28 percent of all cancer cases in the United States are misdiagnosed.
- Heart attack: Heart attacks can be easily misdiagnosed because not every person – and few women, in particular – experiences the “classic” symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath. Some heart attack victims do not experience any symptoms at all.
- Stroke: Although the signs and symptoms of a stroke have been widely published in literature and public service announcements – trouble with one’s vision, facial numbness, difficulty in speaking, and/or confusion – a number of individuals are misdiagnosed as having other conditions. This is unfortunate because prompt treatment following a stroke is essential to giving the patient the best possible recovery.
- Aortic dissection: A tear in the aorta wall can be fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated very quickly. There are tests that can alert your doctor to the presence of an aortic dissection, but if your doctor does not perform the correct tests in a timely manner – or, worse, fails to perform the correct tests at all – then this condition can be misdiagnosed.
- Pulmonary embolism: A pulmonary embolism usually results from a blood clot that blocks the pulmonary artery (the major artery in the lung). This can cause the patient to experience chest pains or trouble breathing (amongst other potential symptoms). This can cause a doctor to misdiagnose the patient with a condition such as pneumonia or even a heart attack.
In so many cases, a patient’s health is adversely affected by a delay in correctly diagnosing the patient’s condition. A misdiagnosis error can literally cost the patient his or her life.
Contact The Nurse Attorney, PLLC Right Away
If you or a loved one has been injured by a misdiagnosis, a medical malpractice suit cannot undo the harm you or your loved one have already suffered. Such a lawsuit can, however, compensate you for the expense of additional treatment and tests resulting from your initial diagnosis, your pain and suffering, and other such compensation that can help prevent your family from experiencing significant financial struggles as a result of your ordeal. Further, medical malpractice suits also help to improve patient safety for others. Call The Nurse Attorney, PLLC in Lakewood Ranch, Florida (Sarasota/Bradenton area) at (941) 210-4220 to discuss your case, or send an email by clicking here.
Resource:
everydayhealth.com/pictures/commonly-misdiagnosed-conditions/#11
