Claiming Compensation for Endocarditis Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosing infective endocarditis can cause an array of catastrophic outcomes for the patient and even lead to an early death. If the misdiagnosis is judged to have been negligent, a claim for compensation might be a helpful way forward.
The problem of infective endocarditis
The low incidence of infective endocarditis means that many medical practitioners are not familiar with it. The possible severity of the patient's outcome if diagnosis and treatment are delayed, however, means that any uncertainty as to the patient's diagnosis should be treated with extreme caution.
Infective endocarditis is a bacterial infection of the lining of the heart. If it is not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can cause a number of severe problems including the following:
- Heart failure
- Organ failure
- A stroke
Diagnosing infective endocarditis
The symptoms of infective endocarditis might seem fairly non-specific such as flu-like symptoms and aching muscles but there are some factors which might suggest that the patient is at a higher risk than normal of contracting this potentially-lethal infection.
- A patient who has a heart murmur may be more susceptible to infective endocarditis
- An older male
- An individual with heart disease or who has undergone heart valve surgery
- An intravenous drug user
Where a medical professional has any uncertainty as to a diagnosis, they should obtain a second opinion or refer the patient for further investigation.
A patient with possible infective endocarditis may need to undergo tests such as an echocardiogram and blood tests to check for any signs that their symptoms might be caused by an infection of the lining of the heart.
Making a Claim for Medical negligence
A failure to refer a patient for further tests when they may be developing infective endocarditis might be regarded as negligent.
If a patient has suffered significant, long-term problems due to such a failing in medical care, it might be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
For example, the victim of a stroke or organ failure may be unable to return to work and may need some degree of care or support in order to function on a daily basis. They or their family may be suffering a significant degree of financial loss due to their poor healthcare. A successful compensation claim can help with these problems.
Speak to a solicitor
If you or a loved one are struggling with the impact of infective endocarditis due to a delay in diagnosis and treatment, contact Glynns today. One of our specialist medical negligence solicitors will very happy to discuss your experience with you.
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