Misdiagnosed Urinary Tract Infection and Urosepsis

Urosepsis results from a urinary tract infection being misdiagnosed and bacteria traveling to the kidneys and settling in the blood. It is a serious condition, but a treatable one.

Urinary Tract Infections and Urosepsis

A urinary tract infection occurs when bacteria enters an individual’s urethra and settles in their bladder. Its symptoms include painful and frequent urination and the presence of blood in urine. Diagnosis of a urinary tract infection is done through testing a urine sample. If the urine contains blood or traces of white blood cells, an infection is indicated. It is treatable with antibiotics.

Urosepsis occurs when the bacteria from a urinary tract infection is untreated and spreads to a patient’s blood by route of the kidneys. An infection of the blood system is called "septicemia."Regardless of where it derives from, septicemia is an extremely difficult and complex illness to treat. Individuals with a history of kidney stones are more prone to developing the infection. Diagnosis occurs through a physical examination of a patient complaining of the symptoms of a urinary tract infection or through a blood test to check for the presence of white blood cells. It is treated by heavy doses of antibiotics. If left untreated, it could cause organ failure, shock and is potentially fatal.  

Misdiagnosing Urosepsis

Unfortunately, a patient who does not complain of symptoms of a urinary tract infection may not be diagnosed with urosepsis. This is because without complaining of those symptoms a physician might not include the illness in his consideration. A physician might diagnose the patient with cysts in their bladder or overactive bladder syndrome instead of urosepsis. Blood tests, however, will eliminate those alternative diagnoses.

Additionally, not complaining of the symptoms of a urinary tract infection does not excuse a physician from eliminating the illness as a possible diagnosis. A physician should ask the patient whether they are having difficulty urinating or urinating more frequently than usual and, if so, perform blood tests.

Not doing so may result in the patient being misdiagnosed. Because of the seriousness of a blood infection, the patient may suffer significant subsequent illnesses. These may entitle the patient to compensation.

Medical Malpractice and Urosepsis

To have a valid legal claim for urosepsis, a patient must prove that the physician’s failure to diagnose him with the illness was unreasonable and that the failure caused him physical or emotional harm which can be compensated financially. To determine if a physician’s misdiagnosis was unreasonable, his actions will be compared to a normal physician under the circumstances. If another physician would have ordered blood tests, the accused physician may have committed malpractice.

The patient’s damages must have been caused by the physician’s misdiagnoses. This means that not being diagnosed on time or too late must have induced the patient to suffer further injury or harm which could have been avoided if he had been timely and property diagnosed.

Getting Legal Help

If you were misdiagnosed and not treated for urospesis, and suffered injury as a result, seek legal advice. A lawyer will review the facts of your case and treatment and discuss your legal options with you.