Patient Risks and Hospital or Doctor Liability for Misdiagnosed Pulmonary Edema

Pulmonary edema is the buildup of fluid in the lungs. The most common cause of pulmonary edema is as a secondary result to heart disease. In congestive heart failure (CHF), the heart is unable to pump blood effectively, and fluid will build up in parts of the body. As the lungs are directly connected to the heart through the pulmonary blood vessels, naturally, there will be an accumulation of fluid as the blood pressure in this area increases and the heart malfunctions.

Proper Diagnosis of Pulmonary Edema

Proper diagnosis of pulmonary edema is needed for the person to receive the correct treatment in a timely manner. The physician should first look for signs and symptoms of this condition, which includes difficulty breathing, fluid accumulation, anxiety, cough, pale skin, wheezing and excess sweating. In some instances, the person will feel as if he/she is gasping for air and can wake up suddenly feeling unable to breathe.

After observation of signs and symptoms, the proper diagnosis of edema within the lungs should include carrying out medical procedures, such as a blood test, an x-ray, or even a CT scan in some circumstances. The blood test for this medical condition will look at if you have pulmonary edema that is caused by heart failure. The test will look to detect levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). This is the byproduct of heart disease when the left ventricle of the heart starts to fail.

Misdiagnosis of Pulmonary Edema

For the correct diagnosis of pulmonary edema to be obtained, the person should have his/her medical tests read by a trained physician or medical personnel. However, the entire diagnosis might only be obtained just on reading the results of the tests instead of the symptoms and signs the person presents with.

In this situation, the physician will need to look at other medical conditions, such as pneumonia or bronchitis, that can cause the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. Pneumonia is a lung disease in which an infection causes this buildup of fluid. However, unlike pulmonary edema, it is accompanied by fever. The person with pneumonia will also have the lung fluid tested for an infection, which is not common in pulmonary edema. Pulmonary edema patients will have difficulty breathing that worsens on exertion.

Pulmonary edema can also be misread as bronchitis due to fluid accumulation. However, bronchitis is often an acute condition in which the airways become inflamed. It develops after an infection and can improve over time.

Thus based on these conditions and many others, the full diagnosis of pulmonary edema might be mistaken for a milder lung condition until it's too late. The physician might believe a person has bronchitis and delay the proper treatment of pulmonary edema that includes life-saving oxygen and medication to remove the buildup of fluid.

Therefore, if you have found yourself in a situation in which your physician has misdiagnosed your pulmonary edema, then it will be crucial to speak to a medical malpractice attorney about your case to determine compensation. This might be a clear case of hospital or doctor liability resulting in money that you will need for your treatment.