The large number of patients that are seen in emergency departments every day can make it challenging for doctors to spend a significant amount of time with each person. An emergency room’s environment of stress and urgency is hardly conducive to a thorough investigation into symptoms and potential causes. Nevertheless, doctors and other medical professionals are expected to provide each patient with the appropriate level of care when they visit the hospital.

When Watertown emergency room doctors and nurses fail to uphold the standard of care to a patient, the results can lead to catastrophic and life-threatening medical issues. If you’ve been injured or harmed by a negligent emergency department provider, the medical malpractice attorneys at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, want to help you hold them responsible. Our legal team has over a century of combined experience helping clients recover fair compensation after medical mistakes and emergency room errors, so contact us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.

How Common are Emergency Room Errors?

Tens of millions of people visit emergency departments across the United States each year. In such a busy and hectic atmosphere, mistakes do happen. Among the most common emergency room errors are:

  • Failure to diagnose
  • Incorrect interpretation of test results
  • Misdiagnosis
  • Failure to refer patients to appropriate specialists
  • Procedure mistakes

It is relatively common for doctors in emergency rooms to neglect performing a comprehensive patient history, which can also lead to prescription errors.

What Happens When Emergency Room Errors Occur?

Medical mistakes can cause permanent damage and life-threatening complications, but the exact outcome depends on the individual malpractice case.

Misdiagnosis or Failure to Diagnose

When doctors make diagnosis mistakes, patients cannot receive the care they need, and they are sometimes subjected to unnecessary treatment and procedures. Heart attacks, strokes, traumatic brain injuries, and severe infections can lead to fatal consequences if emergency room doctors do not properly diagnose and treat these conditions.

Surgical or Procedure Errors

Even minor procedures performed by emergency room physicians can result in harmful mistakes. Surgical errors include performing the procedure on the wrong body part, injuring a body part or organ, and leaving surgical instruments in the body.

Failure to Refer

Emergency medicine practitioners are often a jack of all trades in order to properly treat a wide variety of ailments they encounter in emergency departments. This also means that patients with specific diseases or injuries may need to be referred to a doctor who specializes in that field, such as plastic surgeons, neurologists, and cardiologists.

Prescription Errors

Patients who visit the ER with pre-existing conditions and daily medications must have those details considered when receiving emergency care. Doctors should not prescribe medication that interacts harmfully with a medicine the patient is already taking. A thorough, complete history must be taken to ensure this does not happen.

Contact an Emergency Room Error Lawyer Today

At D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, our priority is the successful recovery of each client who has trusted us with their medical malpractice claim. Our clients in Watertown and surrounding areas know they can rely on us to fight tirelessly for justice and fair compensation. Contact us today to schedule a free in-person or virtual consultation.

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If you or someone you love has suffered an injury or illness, you need to take immediate action so we can start our investigation. It’s not just a legal matter; it’s about helping you rebuild your life.

We have a proven track record of success. Other lawyers refer their cases to us because we have the experience and resources to resolve these complex matters.

It’s important that you contact us right away, before evidence disappears and critical legal deadlines expire. Our office is centrally located in Watertown and we offer legal counsel to victims and their families throughout Connecticut. Contact us online or by phone to schedule a free remote or in-person consultation.