Albuquerque Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Patient transfers can sometimes lead to falls and injuries

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Hospital Negligence on Friday, February 22, 2019.

For some nurses, one of the most difficult part of their job is lifting patients. This can be hard, because some patients are unable to move themselves onto the bed or into a chair. Some patients aren't even able to turn in bed. The nurses must then reposition them and help them move.

Many hospitals use patient lift devices, but these might not be available in all situations. Unfortunately, there are risks to nurses lifting their patients. There is a chance that the nurse will suffer an injury, but there is also the possibility that the patient will be injured.

Doctor's errors can lead to serious patient injuries

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Doctor Errors on Friday, February 15, 2019.

You doctor should always act in your best interests. In order to do this, they must be mentally alert and able to analyze the situation. When doctors are fatigued or not paying attention, they might end up making errors that harm patients. If you are one of the patients harmed by a doctor's errors, you have legal options to seek compensation for the damages and losses that you suffered.

We know that you might need to focus on healing from your injuries. This can be more difficult when you are also trying to explore your legal options. We can help you learn about your rights to seek compensation so that you can get back to focusing on your health.

Some surgeries are more dangerous than others

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Surgical Errors on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

Having surgery comes with a specific set of risks. When a patient is cut open or has to be placed under anesthesia, they face potential risks. The anesthesia could set off an allergic reaction or even cause death to a patient. Cutting the skin can introduce bacteria to the wound, which may lead to an infection.

Even though there are risks with all surgeries, there are some that are more dangerous than others. Here are 10 of the most dangerous surgeries:

Pancreatectomy: Removal of the pancreas
Septal myotomy: Reduction in the thickness of the heart muscle
Gastric bypass: Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery
Esophagectomy: Reconstruction of part of the esophagus
Thoracic aortic dissection repair: Fixing a tear in the innermost layer of the heart
Bladder cystectomy: Removal or all or part of the bladder
Spinal osteomyelitis: Treatment for a spinal infection
Coronary revascularization: Rerouting of blood flow around a clogged artery
Craniectomy: Removal of a part of the skull
Ventricular restoration: A treatment for congestive heart failure

Medical negligence: Be proactive to prevent it

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski on Thursday, February 7, 2019.

When you visit a New Mexico doctor's office, you can reasonably expect that the physician and nurses who tend to your needs will act according to the highest level of accepted safety standards and industry protocol. If they don't, you are at great risk for medical injury. Sadly, thousands of lives are lost every year in situations that were easily preventable. Thankfully, many medical patients survive their injuries; however, it is usually not without significant negative impact on their health.

If you suffer a worsened condition or other injury because your doctor or another medical team member was negligent, you may be in for a long, arduous recovery. From failure to diagnose to improper administration of medication or surgical errors, medical malpractice is problematic in many states. The more proactive you are as a patient, the less chance you have of suffering a medical injury.

Seek compensation for medication errors that harm you

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Medication Errors on Friday, February 1, 2019.

You count on your doctors to prescribe the correct medications in the proper dosages to treat any medical conditions that you have. The prescription is usually verified by the pharmacist. Between these two individuals, you shouldn't get any incorrect medications. When you are in the hospital, there is also a nurse who reviews medications before you are given them.

There are many things that can go wrong with prescription medications. One of these is that you might have a reaction to them. While many of these aren't serious, it is possible that some reactions can be severe or fatal. The doctor and pharmacist should be on the lookout for contraindications that would denote the medication isn't safe for you to take. Unfortunately, they sometimes miss these obvious points.

Placental abruption: A sometimes fatal condition

On behalf of The Law Offices of Salazar, Sullivan & Jasionowski posted in Birth Injuries on Friday, January 25, 2019.

The natural experience of a woman going through labor is sometimes cut short when her vital signs begin to plummet. This is sometimes due to placental abruption. This condition occurs when the woman's placenta detaches from the uterine wall before the baby is born. Not only can this threaten the mother's life, but the baby's life also hangs in the balance.

When the placenta detaches, it can cause heavy bleeding in the mother. This also means that the baby isn't getting oxygen or any other nutrients. This is what makes the condition a medical emergency that must be handled immediately.

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.