Stroke Misdiagnosis Lawyers in Philadelphia

Doctors are failing to diagnose strokes at an alarming rate ― putting patients at risk for severe health consequences. If doctors failed to diagnose a stroke, contact the experienced Philadelphia stroke negligence lawyers at Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig.

Strokes are a Leading Cause of Death and Serious Injuries in the United States

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S suffers from a stroke, with a stroke-related death occurring every 4 minutes. All told, about 800,000 people in the U.S. suffer a stroke each year, with more than 140,000 people dying. Strokes are the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S. and a leading cause of serious disability for adults.

Doctors Still Miss Signs of Stroke

Yet, doctors fail to correctly diagnose strokes at an alarming rate, putting patients at risk for severe health consequences. One study found that 9 percent of strokes are initially misdiagnosed in the emergency department, particularly when patients present with symptoms such as headache, vertigo, and nausea, which have many different causes.

If you suffered a stroke after seeking medical treatment for stroke-related symptoms, you need the dedicated medical malpractice team at Feldman Shepherd.

What Is a Stroke?

Simply stated, a stroke is a sudden interruption in blood flow to the brain. There are two major kinds of strokes:

Ischemic: Caused by a blockage of blood vessels in the neck or brain, most often caused by a blood clot or severe narrowing of the blood vessels.
Hemorrhagic: Caused by a blood vessel in the brain that breaks and bleeds into the brain.

Ischemic strokes are more common, leading doctors to more easily miss hemorrhagic strokes. COVID-19 has also been linked to an increased risk of ischemic strokes, so reporting this medical history to emergency room doctors is another indicator that patients might be suffering from a stroke. Hemorrhagic strokes also have certain indicators, such as recent head trauma from car accidents, high blood pressure, or blood thinner use. Doctors who fail to take a thorough medical history that might pair current symptoms with these risk factors might be liable for medical malpractice.

What are the Symptoms of a Stroke?

Symptoms of a stroke come on suddenly. They often include the following:

Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
Confusion, trouble speaking, or trouble understanding speech
Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Trouble walking, dizziness, and loss of balance or coordination
Severe headache with no known cause

When you pair these symptoms with the above risk factors – such as age, COVID-19, or recent head trauma – doctors should order diagnostic testing to determine whether you’re having a stroke.

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Why Do Doctors Fail to Correctly Diagnose Strokes?

Stroke diagnoses are delayed in some cases because initial symptoms can be nonspecific, and the onset of symptoms can appear at varying times across patients. Some patients experience symptoms ― such as weakness, confusion, poor coordination, and difficulty speaking — within minutes of the blood clot or brain bleed, which makes the correct diagnosis clearer to doctors. However, when a patient experiences the onset of these symptoms over a period of hours or days, they are more likely to be misdiagnosed.

Common Medical Mistakes Regarding Strokes

Doctors sometimes misdiagnose strokes as migraines, vertigo, and even alcohol intoxication. However, taking a thorough patient history and looking at certain risk factors should at least give ER physicians pause. They should order diagnostic testing to rule out a stroke when high-risk patients without a history of alcoholism or migraines suddenly present with these symptoms. Our dedicated medical malpractice lawyers work with experienced diagnostic experts to determine, based on your medical records and history, whether a reasonable doctor should have suspected a stroke.

Timely Diagnosis is Critical

A stroke is a medical emergency. The quicker doctors accurately diagnose and treat it, the better the patient’s outcome is likely to be. Two million brain cells die every minute during a stroke, which puts a patient at risk for permanent brain damage, disability, or death. Treatment within three hours of symptoms improves the chances of recovery with little or no disability.

Treatment will vary depending on what type of stroke a patient has. Treatment of ischemic strokes entails restoring blood flow to the brain. Treatment of hemorrhagic strokes entails controlling the bleeding and reducing the pressure in the brain caused by the excess fluid.

Real Case Results for Misdiagnosed Stroke Patients

At Feldman Shepherd, our dedicated medical malpractice lawyers might help you recover substantial damages for a misdiagnosed stroke – including medical expenses, lost wages, and lost enjoyment of life. Consider the following case results we achieved for clients who suffered preventable strokes.

Multi-Million Dollar Settlement for Failure to Prevent a Stroke

The dedicated medical malpractice lawyers at Feldman Shepherd obtained a $3.5 million settlement for our Philadelphia client, who suffered a stroke when doctors failed to diagnose stenosis of the carotid arteries. Despite two of our client's family members dying at the same age from similar heart conditions, which was demonstrated by his bloodwork and testing, his doctor failed to order noninvasive testing of the carotid arteries.

After being under the doctor's care for two years, the partial blockage that should have been discovered eventually became a complete blockage and caused a stroke. Our client suffered from severe brain injuries as a result of this misdiagnosis. Though we could not restore our client's health, this settlement provides for our client and his wife in their retirement years.

$2.2 Million for a Stroke Victim

Our experienced stroke injury attorneys recovered a $2.2 million settlement for a stroke victim who was taking a blood thinner. He relied on a defective home test kit, which incorrectly measured his INR, causing him to suffer an embolic cerebrovascular stroke and resulting neurological damage.

Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers for Life’s Most Challenging Moments

For more than 30 years, the attorneys at Feldman Shepherd have achieved record-breaking results in medical malpractice lawsuits for patients and their families who have been harmed when medical practitioners misdiagnose strokes and other serious conditions. Damages might include compensation for the following:

Future surgeries
Cognitive rehabilitation
Medications
Home nursing care
Physical therapy
Pain
Emotional suffering
Lost enjoyment of life
Frustration

Our professional staff includes two nurses who are also lawyers, and we additionally consult with preeminent medical experts to give us a deep understanding of the medical issues you face and to inform our litigation strategy.

Representation You Can Afford

Feldman Shepherd even covers the initial costs of these expensive expert witness reports and litigation expenses, only getting reimbursed if we obtain valuable compensation in your case. This allows you to take on powerful hospitals and medical corporations regardless of your financial circumstances. We even accept these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning our lawyers don’t get paid unless we win your case.

Dedicated Medical Malpractice Attorneys for Stroke Misdiagnosis in Philadelphia

If you need help following a doctor’s failure to properly diagnose and treat a stroke, you can count on Feldman Shepherd’s medico-legal team to help secure all of the compensation to which you are entitled, including compensation for your pain and suffering, financial losses, emotional distress, and medical expenses, while keeping you fully informed as to every step of your medical malpractice case. We can also help families recover damages on behalf of loved ones who died or suffered from disabling brain injuries following a misdiagnosed stroke. Call us to learn how we can help you with your case at (877) 595-9761 or contact us online.