If you’ve ever conducted an online search in hopes of diagnosing some symptoms that you have been exhibiting, then you’ve probably noticed that a single symptom can be a sign of something as minor as the common cold or as severe as cancer or some other type of terminal disease. In other words, usually, without additional testing, it is impossible to determine what causes a particular symptom to manifest. This is why we turn to medical professionals who are educated and trained to make accurate and timely diagnoses.
Yet, even these medical professionals fail to live up to their duty of care, as evidenced by one recently filed medical malpractice case here in Hawaii. There, a woman claims that a nurse and a doctor both failed to appropriately follow up on blood testing, which would have clearly shown that she suffered from kidney disease.
According the lawsuit, despite blood work showing red flags of kidney disease, the woman was only diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and was not given additional tests that would have confirmed her condition. As a result, it took nearly two years for her to learn that one of her kidneys was failing, at which time it had to be removed. Her remaining kidney is also diseased, which she also attributes to her delayed diagnosis. She now seeks compensation for her damages.
The doctor who treated her is prepared for the case to go to trial. He insists that his treatment of the patient was appropriate and that she made a fully informed decision not to pursue treatment for kidney failure sooner. This argument will likely be a focus of much of the trial, should this case get to that point.
Medical malpractice cases like these require a strong legal strategy that anticipates and is prepared to counter defense tactics. Developing one of these strategies often means engaging in thorough discovery and possessing aggressive litigation skills. Fortunately, legal teams with these skills stand ready to assist those who have been harmed by medical malpractice.