Albuquerque Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Seek compensation for your loved one's permanent brain damage

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Brain Injuries on Friday, January 18, 2019.

Brain injuries are very serious matters that can impact every area of your life. For some individuals, the impacts are seemingly temporary. As time progresses, they might recover some function, but not everyone is that fortunate. Some brain injuries, such as those caused by hypoxia, will impact the patient for their entire life. In these cases, the next of kin might choose to act on the patient's behalf and seek compensation for the damage.

Having to see your loved one deal with permanent brain damage due to a brain injury can be devastating. One thing that you might soon realize is that life as you once knew it is over. Instead, your life might become a constant battle for your loved one. You may be the one who is responsible for caring for them. You may have to set up medical and therapy appointments. This can take up a lot of time.

Untreated strokes can lead to life-changing disabilities

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Failure to Diagnose on Friday, January 11, 2019.

A person who is having a stroke needs proper medical as quickly as possible. Leaving these conditions untreated means that the person might have more damage done to the brain than what would have occurred with proper treatments. This is why prompt diagnosis and treatment are imperative. Unfortunately, some patients have to deal with the doctors who are evaluating them not making an accurate diagnosis.

The symptoms of a stroke come on suddenly. The person might have any of the following symptoms but might not have all of them.

Vertigo
Impaired vision that impacts one or both eyes
Drooping on one side of the face
Slurred speech and difficulty talking
Trouble walking
Problems lifting one arm to the normal height

Sadly, medical mistakes are a fact of life

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski on Wednesday, January 9, 2019.

You may be among the numerous Albuquerque residents who believe that medical professionals diligently provide the best standard of care to their patients. Sadly, this is not always the case.

In many instances, medical mistakes occur. Some of them are negligible and do not cause any real harm. However, others quickly become serious and/or life threatening.

Missed appendicitis can be a fatal condition

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Failure to Diagnose on Friday, January 4, 2019.

When a patient in the emergency room presents with complaints of severe abdominal pain, there are a few things that might be wrong. One of these is appendicitis. No matter what the diagnosis actually is, it needs to be the correct one. Failing to diagnose appendicitis properly can lead to serious issues, up to and including death.

Appendicitis occurs when the appendix is inflamed. It needs to be removed if this is the case because it can burst. This will spew infectious matter into the abdomen. When this happens, there is a chance that the abdominal cavity lining will become inflamed. This can be fatal.

4 unacceptable things some hospital patients experience

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Hospital Negligence on Friday, January 4, 2019.

There are many aspects of care that patients can experience at a hospital. One universal tenet is that the hospital must take steps to ensure patient safety. Doing so includes a vast array of steps and procedures. When any of these are omitted, the patients can suffer harm and the hospital could face allegations of negligence.

We know that many hospital patients assume that the nurses and doctors are very busy, so they might let little errors and omissions slip by without bringing it to their caregivers' attention. Below are some things that shouldn't ever be ignored.

Failing to wash hands. Anyone who comes in contact with patients, including those who clean the room, should wash their hands upon entering. This single action can do a lot to protect patients from the spread of germs around the hospital.
Improper medication management. Patients should get their medicines on time, in the correct quantity and only after orders are verified.
Lack of verification. All interactions with patients, including treatments, testing and medication administration, should include steps to verify the patient's identity. Usually, this includes scanning the bracelet and asking the patient for information like their full name and birthday.
Substandard care. Having a low patient-to-staff ratio can help ensure that patients get the care they need. Unfortunately, understaffing is quite common in hospitals. Patients should vigilantly watch response time to assistance requests and other forms of care while they are in the facility.

Post-surgical complications demand immediate attention

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Surgical Errors on Thursday, December 27, 2018.

After you have surgery, there are many complications that you have to watch for. When you are in a surgery center or hospital after a surgical procedure, the nurses and doctors caring for you are the ones who should watch for signs that something is amiss. While most of them do their jobs well, there are some who may be negligent. The patients are the ones who can suffer in these cases.

There are many signs that medical professionals need to look for in the hours and days after a procedure. One of the most common is an infection. The surgical site should be watched for signs that point to an infection, which include redness at the site of the incision and pain that doesn't lessen over time. The area might feel hot and might have abnormal drainage. Antibiotics are used to combat infection.

Patients should be given information about dangerous drugs

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Medication Errors on Friday, December 21, 2018.

You've probably heard news stories about serious problems with many medications. For example, there is a risk of amputation that comes with Invokana. Pharmaceutical companies have a duty to ensure that the drugs they put on the market are safe. When they don't, the patients are the ones who suffer harm while the executives of the drug companies can go home without concern for their health at the end of the day.

We know that most people trust their doctors to make decisions that benefit the patient. Still, it is important that all patients ask questions that can help them to determine exactly what problems might manifest from the medications. It is imperative that all patients understand the potential side effects of the drugs they're prescribed.

Multitasking doctors can make mistakes

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Doctor Errors on Friday, December 14, 2018.

Doctors have busy schedules and heavy workloads. They also have to be able to respond to the unexpected, as things happen quickly and lives may depend on them.

This can lead to a fair amount of distraction. One way that doctors try to get through this heavy workload is simply by multitasking. They may try to talk to one patient while thinking about medication for another and using a computer to check medical records for a third.

Are you at risk for this dangerous condition?

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski on Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

Having a baby can be both an exciting yet worrisome time in life. If you are expecting your first child, you may have hundreds of questions regarding prenatal care, labor and delivery, and how to care for a newborn infant. You hopefully have a strong support system that includes family, friends and skilled medical professionals who can answer your questions and provide encouragement and assistance throughout your pregnancy and beyond.

If you are one of many women in New Mexico who experienced adverse health symptoms during pregnancy, you'll want to seek a correct diagnosis so your doctor and nurses can provide appropriate treatment. Some conditions are more dangerous than others. Preeclampsia is one that doctors often misdiagnose, which can be life-threatening to you or your baby.

Patients can take action after a doctor error

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Doctor Errors on Friday, December 7, 2018.

Your doctors have your trust, but you should always remember that they are human and might make errors. Some errors they make might be harmless enough; however, there are instances in which patients suffer greatly when a doctor doesn't make the right choices. When this occurs, the patient might opt to seek compensation from the doctor due to the negligence or error. We are here to help you learn about your options.

Doctor errors come in many forms, which is one factor that can make them difficult to discern. Failure to make a correct diagnosis, not getting informed consent, prescribing incorrect medications and similar issues are all possible. The bottom line is that doctors have to be sure that they are doing everything they can to give their patients care that meets or exceeds the standards of care that other doctors would provide.