Baltimore, MD Stroke Misdiagnosis Attorneys

Lawyers Addressing the Failure to Diagnose and Treat Strokes in Baltimore, Maryland

A stroke, also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), occurs when something blocks the flow of blood to the brain. This will prevent the brain from receiving oxygen, and it can lead to the death of brain cells.

There are three main types of CVAs:

1. An ischemic stroke caused by a blockage
2. A hemorrhagic stroke caused by a breakage in a blood vessel
3. A transient ischemic attack involving temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain

Health care providers are trained to recognize the symptoms of a stroke, such as dizziness, radiating head or other pain, numbness in the face or extremities, breathlessness, loss of vision, and confusion. If they fail to diagnose a stroke correctly, a patient may not receive the treatment needed to prevent serious harm and ongoing health issues.

Recognizing Strokes

When patients present to health care providers with symptoms suggestive of a stroke, the standard of care calls for these doctors to perform certain tests, such as EEGs, EKGs, MRIs, MRAs, and CT scans, to rule out a stroke as the potential cause of those symptoms. Doctors will check reflexes, vision, speech, and senses. They will also check for a particular sound (bruit) in the blood vessels of the neck, which indicates an abnormal blood flow. Finally, they will check blood pressure to see if it is elevated, a common sign associated with a stroke, as the body attempts to compensate for the low blood flow reaching the brain.

Despite conducting these tests, approximately one in 10 strokes is misdiagnosed. Physicians may misdiagnose a developing stroke as a more benign process, such as a headache, migraine, or other condition.

Given the present-day availability of numerous drugs and surgical procedures that can minimize the risk of permanent neurological injury caused by strokes, prompt diagnosis is essential. Failure to do so will place a patient at greater risk for catastrophic injury or even wrongful death. It is generally understood that the sooner the patient is diagnosed and treated for a stroke, the better the patient's prognosis will be.

Contact Our Baltimore Stroke Misdiagnosis Lawyers

At Silverman Thompson, our medical malpractice team routinely appears in state and federal courts in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions, as well as jurisdictions inside and outside the State of Maryland, in the pursuit of just compensation for clients who have suffered undiagnosed or untreated strokes. Like all medical malpractice work, we take these cases on a contingency basis, meaning that our office funds the case expenses and is only paid if we recover money for the patient or their family.

When a person has been affected by an undiagnosed or untreated stroke, legal representation from a skilled lawyer is critical. Attorneys Andrew G. Slutkin and Ethan S. Nochumowitz advocate on behalf of patients who have suffered injuries, working to ensure that they will be fully compensated for the damages caused by medical negligence. Contact our Baltimore, MD stroke malpractice attorneys at 410-385-2225 to set up a free consultation.