Failure to Diagnose Strokes in Certain Patients

In the worst-case scenarios, strokes can permanently impair a person’s mental or physical abilities and even cause death.

A stroke is a severe condition that can result in permanent brain damage, speech issues, and a significant amount of physical therapy. If left untreated, a stroke can also cause death. As recent as 2013, strokes accounted for nearly 1 of every 20 deaths in the United States.

It is common knowledge that strokes typically occur in older people. In fact, your odds of having a stroke about doubles every 10 years after age 55. However, while many patients get diagnosed quickly, some are more likely to be misdiagnosed or dismissed as having a non-emergent condition.

If you suffered from a delayed diagnosis or a failure to diagnose a stroke, call our medical malpractice lawyers in Maryland and Washington, D.C. for help . We offer FREE consultations and can review and evaluate your case at no upfront costs to you. That means we can advise you on the law and answer your questions, while also conducting an investigation and review if we accept your case. We only get paid if you get paid. 

Some common signs of a stroke include:

If you or a loved one are experiencing these symptoms, call 911. 

If you or a loved one went to a healthcare provider complaining of these symptoms and were diagnosed with a non-emergent condition, but later diagnosed with a stroke, you may want to consult a medical malpractice lawyer like those at Cardaro & Peek . 

Generally speaking, strokes affect older individuals more often than anyone else. It is also more common with women than men. Additionally, both men and women who are Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Native Alaskan may be more likely to have a stroke than non-Hispanic White or Asian individuals. The risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for the above groups. Black individuals are also more likely to die from stroke than White individuals.

As a result, it’s common for younger individuals, especially female patients under 40, to be misdiagnosed and dismissed as having other problems, such as migraines. Patients of color are also 20-30% more likely to be misdiagnosed. Notwithstanding the above, any individual can suffer a stroke and any individual can be misdiagnosed. Unfortunately, especially with younger individuals, many of the misdiagnoses occur simply because the possibility of a stroke was not given much consideration during the diagnostic assessment. 

There is a well-known medical saying with strokes— “time is brain.” This saying is recognition of the fact that human nervous tissue is rapidly (and permanently) lost as the stroke progresses, and thus therapeutic interventions should be emergently pursued. Early diagnosis and treatment of strokes are critical to the individual’s recovery. 

When a patient presents with symptoms of a stroke, a healthcare professional should ask for a complete medical history, including a list of all current medications, and check for stroke risk factors. Physicians should be able to differentiate between dizziness caused by a stroke and one caused by other problems (e.g., an inner ear problem). It can have dire consequences when they fail to do so and release a patient who is having a stroke without the proper diagnosis. 

In the worst-case scenarios, strokes can permanently impair a person’s mental or physical abilities and even cause death. If you believe your stroke symptoms were misdiagnosed, contact the Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek . We have years of experience in medical malpractice cases and want to help your family receive justice.

Do you believe that you or your loved one has suffered as a result of medical malpractice or medical neglect? If so, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Cardaro & Peek, LLC today. 

The lawyers at Cardaro & Peek, LLC have the experience and resources necessary to investigate and litigate all types of medical claims throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Cardaro & Peek, LLC has medical personnel on staff and has access to nationally recognized, board-certified physicians and other experts, to assist in the investigation, analysis, and prosecution of all types of medical malpractice claims. If you or a loved one have experienced malpractice, give us a call at 410-752-6166. Please visit our website www.cardarolaw.com and follow us on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn for more information.

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