Description
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of a stroke is crucial to early diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, not all healthcare providers are properly trained in diagnosing strokes. The lawyers at Zucker & Regev, P.C., represent stroke victims in medical malpractice cases.
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Failure to properly diagnose and manage stroke is another type of medical malpractice case that we handle here at Zucker & Regev. Stroke refers to inadequate blood flow to the brain resulting in injury to brain tissue.
There are two major categories of stroke. One of them is an ischemic stroke where there is limitation of blood flow. Another one is called hemorrhagic stroke which involves bleeding into the brain tissue often also resulting in deprivation of blood flow to the brain. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of a stroke is crucial to early diagnosis and treatment. The earlier stroke is diagnosed, the better the treatment outcomes are.
What we have often seen is that healthcare providers may not be familiar with the proper interpretation of both imaging and testing at hospitals. CT scans which are a type of a scan that is used to assess the brain, when they come back negative that does not mean that there was no stroke that occurred in a patient. That is one small example of how proper interpretation of imaging is crucial for the proper management of a patient with stroke.
Another type of error that occurs with regards to the management of stroke is that the treatment that is provided for stroke is not adequate. Not only is proper blood pressure control and anticoagulation must be prescribed, but also issues with regards to the actual dosages and types of medications that are rendered are crucial to making sure that the patient's treatment plan is proper and adequate.
