Medical Malpractice Lawyer Bronx
Medical Malpractice
When you visit a doctor to get help for a medical condition that is troubling you, keep this in mind: Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States. That’s right—the only two things that kill more people are heart disease and cancer , according to a report in the respected Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). At Domino Law we care about the community, and if you’ve lost a family member due to medical negligence, or if you or someone close to you has become sicker rather than better after a medical consultation or procedure, then read on to learn more on how a Bronx medical malpractice lawyer can get you the compensation you deserve.
The Surprising (and Shocking) Numbers: Medical Malpractice Statistics
Every year, at least 200,000 patients die as a result of medical mistakes, Forbes magazine reported in a 2013 article. But the actual number may be much higher. A study published in the Journal of Patient Safety found that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients in hospitals fall victim to medical errors every year that result in their premature death.
And that’s before we consider the patients who have survived medical errors, but have been left with serious damage to their health.
Medical Malpractice is Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.
[wpdatatable id=8]
Data is current as of October 6, 2016 from The Washington Post
Medical Malpractice Definition
Medical malpractice can be defined as any act or failure to act by a physician during treatment of a patient that fails to meet accepted standards of practice in the medical community and results in harm to the patient. Dino Domina, an experienced Bronx medical malpractice attorney with more than twenty years of experience, can assist you in better understanding your rightful compensation.
Doctors and other medical professionals spend years of demanding study and are required to keep current on new information and treatment options through continuing education. Physicians owe their patients a duty to use this knowledge to provide an appropriate standard of care and to abide by their oath which admonishes them to “first do no harm.”
Standard of Care
“Standard of care” means that which a reasonably competent medical professional in the same area of specialization would or would not do in the same or similar circumstances. Anyone who chooses healthcare as a profession owes this duty of care to every one of his or her patients. When that duty is breached and a patient suffers as a result, the responsible doctor, hospital, or other healthcare provider may be liable for the patient’s resulting damages. As experienced Bronx medical malpractice lawyers we are known for our results-oriented approach and for the caring, personal attention we give each any everyone of our clients.
Types of Medical Error
These are some of the many possible types of medical errors that harm patients:
- Failure to diagnose, or misdiagnosis
- Misreading diagnostic screenings
- Medication errors
- Surgical errors
- Administrative errors
- Communication errors
- Laboratory errors
- Equipment malfunctions
- Anesthesiology errors
- Emergency room errors
Failure to Diagnose
Failure to diagnose a particular disease may result from a doctor failing to diagnose a disease at all, or by making the wrong diagnosis, mistaking it for something else. Diagnostic errors that frequently occur from physician negligence include such serious errors as:
- Diagnosing a heart attack as heartburn, panic attack, or muscle ache
- Diagnosing appendicitis as gastroenteritis
- Diagnosing meningitis as flu or migraine
- Diagnosing ovarian or uterine cancer as fibroids or endometriosis
- Diagnosing colorectal cancer as irritable bowel syndrome
- Diagnosing breast cancer as polycystic breast disease
Surgical Errors
The Veterans Health Administration estimated in an article published in JAMA, (the Journal of the American Medical Association), that between five and ten surgical errors occur in the United States every day. Some errors are often indicative of medical malpractice:
- Not monitoring the patient properly
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Damaging blood vessels
- Damaging nerves
- Leaving sponges, implements or other foreign objects in the body
- Transfusing incompatible blood
- Transplanting incompatible organ
- Radiology errors
- Creating a disparity in leg length during hip replacement surgery
Its important for us as Bronx medical malpractice attorneys to educate mistreated patients and their families who may have initially survived these medical errors unknowingly only to be left with serious damages to their health much later on.
Medication Errors
According to a study conducted by the Institute of Medicine, preventable medication errors are among the most common mistakes in hospitals and other care institutions, with approximately 1,200,000 such errors occurring annually in U.S. hospitals and long term care facilities.
Birth Injuries: Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, and Other
Medical malpractice during childbirth can leave a newborn with lasting physical and mental problems and may even result in the child’s death.
Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects the child’s movement control. It can be caused by an injury to the brain of a child before, during, or after the birth, and in many cases is due to preventable medical error, for example:
- Not monitoring the baby properly during labor
- Delaying a C-section when the baby is in distress
- Allowing labor to continue too long after membranes rupture
- Negligent use forceps or vacuum extraction
- Overdose of Pitocin (used to stimulate labor)
- Failure to identify possible problems during pregnancy: baby too large for mother’s pelvis; high blood pressure in the mother; gestational diabetes; vaginal herpes infection, etc.
Shoulder dystocia occurs during a vaginal delivery when uterine contractions push the baby into the birth canal, but one or both of the shoulders gets stuck behind the bony structure of the pelvis. If not handled properly, it can cause Erb’s palsy. Erb’s Palsy (brachial plexus injury) is nerve damage to the shoulder, causing weakness, paralysis, or restriction of motion in the shoulder and arm that occurs when a delivery involving shoulder dystocia is mishandled.
Erb’s palsy can be prevented by taking measurements of the mother’s pelvis and the baby’s size prior to delivery to determine if a Caesarian section should be performed. If the problem is discovered too late for a C-section, a skilled obstetrician or midwife should know how to perform certain maneuvers that will complete the delivery and spare the child from injury.
A baby suffering from cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or other serious birth injuries such as fractures, dislocations, cephalohematoma, spinal cord damage, kernicterus (severe jaundice), and others will often require years of expensive treatment, including surgeries, physical therapy, assistive devices, and special educational services. We know as experienced medical malpractice lawyers in the Bronx that getting enough money to provide for your child needs can make all the difference in his or her quality of life.
Why You the Need an Experienced Bronx Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Payouts for damages due to medical errors in the US totaled around $3.6 billion in 2012. But medical malpractice cases are difficult and complex, requiring a high level of legal experience and expertise, knowledge of medical terminology and procedures, time, money, and access to medical professionals to support your claim. You will need to have a seasoned Bronx medical malpractice attorney working for you.
If you suspect that you or a family member has been a victim of medical malpractice in the Bronx or anywhere in the five boroughs, Westchester, or Long Island, you will find the help you need our highly trusted and experienced medical malpractice attorney Dino J. Domina. Mr. Domina believes that medical professionals must be held to the highest standards to medical malpractice and loss of life. His firm specializing in medical malpractice law in the Bronx has a network of respected physicians in many specialties on call to assist in identifying lapses in the standard of care to prove liability.
Dino Domina and his team of Bronx medical malpractice lawyers specialize in the practice of personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death law exclusively. Dino Domina is tireless in the pursuit of justice for those whose trust in physicians has been betrayed.
Legal Time Limits Filing With an Attorney
Call today to schedule your free medical malpractice consultation. New York State law limits the amount of time in which you can file, so contact us and get in touch with a Bronx medical malpractice lawyer on 718.962.0600 today.