A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot, called an embolus, travels from the legs or another area in the body to the lungs. Pulmonary embolisms can block one or more pulmonary arteries, creating a serious and sometimes fatal reaction.
Prompt diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism is critical to avoid serious and long-lasting harm, so it’s very unfortunate when care providers fail to diagnose this condition correctly. It can also give rise to a Philadelphia medical malpractice claim if a reasonably competent doctor would have provided the correct diagnosis, and your care provider did not.
Morris Wilson Knepp Jacquette, P.C., can help in these situations. Our Philadelphia pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis lawyers have extensive experience representing clients whose care providers didn’t diagnose their condition correctly, and we will put our legal knowledge to work on your case.
Give us a call today to schedule your free consultation to find out more about how we can help.
Consequences Of Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis
The consequences of a delayed or misdiagnosed pulmonary embolism can be very serious. Some of the potential health effects of failure to promptly treat this condition include:
- Death: Pulmonary embolisms can be fatal if you don’t receive prompt treatment.
- Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH): When blood clots don’t dissolve properly, this can cause long-term high blood pressure in the lungs. This is a contributing cause of heart failure.
- Heart failure: The heart suffers extra strain as a result of a pulmonary embolism or a blood clot that does not dissolve properly. This can lead to heart failure.
- Permanent and irreversible damage to the lungs as a result of a lack of blood flow
- Damage to the organs if the body’s organs don’t get enough oxygen due to a blood clot
- A heart attack occurs as a result of a lack of oxygen to the heart
If you can demonstrate that a doctor’s delayed diagnosis was the direct cause of these or other consequences for you or a loved one, you may be entitled to recover compensation through a Philadelphia emergency room malpractice claim.
Is Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice in Philadelphia?
A pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis is a form of medical malpractice that you can be compensated for if you can show:
- The doctor had a duty to you to correctly diagnose your pulmonary embolism. A doctor has a duty to you if you are a patient in their office or in the ER or urgent care that you visit
- The doctor failed in their duty. You’ll have to show that a reasonably competent physician with similar training would have correctly diagnosed the condition or ordered the necessary tests for the correct diagnosis
- You suffered harm as a direct result of the doctor’s failure and were damaged in a way that you can be compensated for
Doctors may try to argue that no professional would have diagnosed the pulmonary embolism under the circumstances, or that your damage would have happened anyway. It will be up to you to prove these elements of your case, and an experienced Philadelphia failure to diagnose attorney can help.
Contact A Philadelphia Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis Lawyer Today
A Philadelphia pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis lawyer at Morris Wilson Knepp Jacquette, P.C. can help you determine if you have a malpractice claim and put together a strong case so you can get full and fair compensation for your losses. Give us a call today at (610) 825-0500 to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help you.