Failing to diagnose appendicitis may result in serious harm or even death to a patient. Health care providers have an obligation to collect certain information to make a timely and accurate diagnosis of a patient’s condition. If you or someone close to you was harmed by a medical professional’s failure to treat appendicitis, you may be able to recover compensation through a medical malpractice claim. At the Arfaa Law Group, experienced Baltimore medical malpractice lawyer Julia Arfaa has the knowledge and dedication to handle your claim.
In order to diagnose appendicitis properly, a physician should ask a series of questions. A failure to diagnose appendicitis or to diagnose it in time increases the likelihood of an appendix rupture. According to some estimates, appendicitis is the third-most frequently missed medical diagnosis. In fact, many people diagnosed with acute appendicitis were previously seen by a physician and misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis rates are the highest among infants and children.
Not every adverse outcome in a medical setting is medical malpractice. However, a physician’s failure to take the required steps to diagnose appendicitis correctly may be medical malpractice if the physician deviated from the standard of care to which a capable physician in the same specialty would have adhered in the same circumstances. In order to prevail on a medical malpractice claim, the plaintiff has the burden of establishing the following elements. The medical professional must have owed the plaintiff a duty to adhere to the standard of care, the medical professional must have breached this duty, and the plaintiff must have suffered an injury as a direct result of the medical professional’s breach.
Under Maryland law, a plaintiff may seek both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include things like medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost income, and other tangible losses. Non-economic damages include losses that are harder to quantify, such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, and more. It is important to note that Maryland law imposes a cap on non-economic damages. Of course, the exact amount of compensation that a plaintiff will be able to obtain will depend on the specific circumstances of the case.
A medical malpractice case in Maryland needs to be filed within a certain time frame, known as the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations may vary depending on the age of the victim. Failing to file within the appropriate time limit could mean losing your right to pursue compensation altogether. Thus, it is extremely important to consult a malpractice attorney as soon as you believe that you may have been injured due to medical negligence.
If you think that your injury may have been a result of a physician’s failure to treat appendicitis, we can help. Dedicated Baltimore medical malpractice attorney Julia Arfaa represents people and families throughout Maryland. We can carefully examine the facts surrounding your situation and provide you with an honest assessment of your claim. For a free consultation with an injury attorney regarding your legal rights and options, call us at 410-889-1850 or contact us online.