How Misdiagnosis Can Lead to Unnecessary Surgery

Correct diagnosis is one of the most critical aspects of medical treatment, and also one of the most complicated. Symptoms from a wide variety of illnesses and injuries can often be similar, and doctors can fall back one the most common cause.

Unfortunately, in cases where a patient is misdiagnosed and ordered to undergo potentially dangerous and high risk surgery, the outcome can be far worse than the condition for which the patient was admitted.

Hospital and Doctors Diagnosis Errors

Errors in diagnosis can stem from several causes, including overworked and fatigued staff, a tendency to diagnose common illness, or simply a symptom being overlooked or test not scheduled.

Some of the most common misdiagnosed illnesses include:

• Cancer
• Clogged Arteries
• Heart Attack
• Infection
• Aortic Dissection
• Fibromyalgia
• Neurological Disorders
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Epilepsy

Dangers of Unnecessary Surgery

If a patient undergoes an unnecessary surgery due to a misdiagnosed condition, the risks involved increase the potential for further injury or even death.

Any surgical procedure is inherently dangerous, especially when anesthesia is involved.  Errors during surgery can cause severe injury to internal organs, and anesthesia errors can lead to brain damage or death.

Furthermore, infection is a serious concern during surgery, and an infection acquired during a surgical procedure can lead to organ damage, sepsis and ultimately septic shock. Once septic shock has set in, the mortality rate quickly drops below 50%.

Hospital and Doctor Liability

If a patient undergoes surgery due to a misdiagnosis, and the patient suffers further injury as a result, the hospital and/or doctor can be held liable for all resulting damages. Similar to the way a negligent driver is liable for causing a car accident, the negligent doctor can be made to pay for all damages resulting from the misdiagnosis and unnecessary surgery.

In order to establish negligence, a third party medical professional must investigate the details of the case, the symptoms for which the patient was admitted, and the resulting treatment decisions in order to determine of the doctor adhered to the accepted medical standard of care. Any deviation from this standard is grounds for negligence and a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Only an experienced medical malpractice lawyer can determine if a patient has a meritorious medical malpractice case that deserves justice in civil court.