If your doctor misdiagnosed meningitis in your newborn, you may have grounds to sue your doctor for medical malpractice.
If your doctor misdiagnosed meningitis in your newborn and caused short-term or long-term health issues, you may have grounds to sue your doctor for medical malpractice. A birth injury lawyer from Newsome | Melton can help you take legal action to recover compensation for the economic and non-economic losses you have incurred from your child’s medical condition.
Newsome | Melton is a personal injury law firm with a special focus on clients whose babies suffered birth injuries because of doctors’ negligence. We take action against negligent healthcare providers and hold them accountable and help our clients recover fair compensation. Our firm offers a free, no-risk case evaluation. To speak with a member of our team, call our office at 888-526-8947.
If Your Doctor Misdiagnosed Your Child’s Meningitis at Birth, He May Have Committed Medical Malpractice
Meningitis is a bacterial or viral infection of the membranes that enclose the brain and spinal cord. If left untreated it can be fatal, and even when treated appropriately it sometimes leads to long-term health issues.
When a newborn or infant develops meningitis, timely intervention is even more critical. Meningitis birth injury is linked to a long list of medical complications. If a doctor misdiagnoses or fails to diagnose meningitis in a young child, the resulting lag in treatment may mean the difference between a full recovery and long-term damage.
The first step to a correct and timely diagnosis is recognizing the common symptoms of meningitis in newborns, infants, and toddlers. These include:
- Fever
- Cold hands and feet
- Excessive fussiness
- Dislike of being touched or handled
- Rapid or labored breathing
- Excessive crying or moaning
- Sensitivity to bright lights
- Unexplained stiff neck
- Convulsions or seizures
- Skin rash, or blotchy skin
- Food refusal
- Excessive vomiting
If your baby exhibited one or more of the above symptoms shortly after birth, or if you returned to your doctor because your baby had these symptoms, your doctor should have run tests for meningitis and made the correct diagnosis.
That said, even a correct diagnosis is useless if your doctor does not follow it up by immediately responding with the best course of treatment. Depending on several factors, this might mean:
- Intravenous antibiotics
- Intravenous fluids
- Oxygen through a face mask to aid breathing
- Steroid medication to prevent or reduce swelling around the brain
A doctor who fails to make the correct diagnosis or to administer the proper treatment may be guilty of malpractice. Untreated infant meningitis can lead to a few long-term health issues:
- Cerebral palsy
- Hearing loss
- Memory problems
- Seizures
- Learning or behavioral problems
- Vision loss
- Loss of limbs (as a result of amputation to stop the spread of infection)
- Kidney problems
A meningitis misdiagnosis birth injury lawyer can hold your doctor accountable if his negligence in misdiagnosing your child’s meningitis led to long-term medical problems.
The Newsome | Melton Team Can Build a Compelling Case for Medical Malpractice Damages
The Newsome | Melton legal team has a strong track record of winning medical malpractice cases. A meningitis misdiagnosis birth injury lawyer will pour every resource we have into building you a strong malpractice claim, which must demonstrate four things:
- Your doctor owed you a duty of care.
- Your doctor did not uphold his duty of care.
- You or your child suffered harm as a result of your doctor’s failure.
- You incurred damages because of your or your child’s injury.
Duty of Care
First, we must demonstrate that your doctor (or his staff member) owed you a duty of care. Since this duty applies to any doctor-patient relationship and extends to the doctor’s staff, we can prove its existence by showing evidence of a doctor-patient relationship.
Failure to Uphold Duty
Second, we must demonstrate that the responsible party failed to uphold his duty of care. While the specifics of a doctor’s professional duty can greatly vary based on the situation, a doctor above all must provide the level of care one would expect from a reasonable person.
To show that your doctor’s care failed to meet this standard, we can call upon medical expert witnesses to play the role of the reasonable person. These witnesses can examine the evidence and then offer insights.
Meningitis Misdiagnosis Birth Injury
Third, we must link your doctor’s misdiagnosis of your child’s meningitis to the injuries your child subsequently suffered. We can collect ample evidence to make this connection clear, including medical records, test results, doctors’ statements, and expert witness testimony.
Economic or Non-Economic Damages
Fourth, we will list all the damages you incurred because of your child’s injury that resulted from meningitis misdiagnosis. We will pursue your doctor and any other responsible parties for the total cost of these damages.
The Newsome | Melton Team Helps You Recover Fair Compensation
Our meningitis misdiagnosis birth injury lawyers fight for fair compensation for your child’s injuries. The damages you may be eligible to recover include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Ongoing care costs for your child
- Pain and suffering and inconvenience
- Emotional distress
- Scarring and disfigurement
Statute of Limitations
If you have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit, it is critical to file it before your state’s statute of limitations expires. Otherwise, you could lose the right to recover damages, no matter the strength of your case. A Newsome | Melton lawyer can take quick legal action if necessary, to preserve your right to compensation.