News

When Multiple Healthcare Providers Share Responsibility for a Patient’s Injury Medical care is often a team effort. A patient admitted to a Florida hospital may be treated by emergency physicians, nurses, hospitalists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, specialists, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals during the same episode of care. When something goes seriously wrong, determining who is responsible may not be as simple as identifying one doctor who made one mistake. Several healthcare providers can potentially contribute to the same injury. One physician may fail to recognize an important symptom. A radiologist may miss an abnormal finding. A nurse may fail to...

Consider this hypothetical scenario: A 32-year-old woman arrives at a Florida hospital in active labor. She previously delivered a child by cesarean section but, after discussing her options with her obstetric team, is attempting a vaginal birth after cesarean, commonly called a VBAC. For several hours, labor progresses. Then the fetal heart-rate tracing changes. The baby's heart rate suddenly drops and does not quickly recover. The mother reports severe abdominal pain that feels different from her contractions. Her contractions change. She becomes increasingly uncomfortable, and the fetal monitoring continues to show concerning abnormalities. Minutes pass. The obstetrician is contacted. Eventually,...

The baby has been delivered. The mother is exhausted, emotional, and relieved. Her family is celebrating. The most difficult part of the delivery appears to be over. But over the next hour, something is wrong. The 31-year-old mother tells a nurse that she feels dizzy and unusually weak. She is pale. Her heart rate is increasing. There is significant vaginal bleeding, but because some bleeding is expected after childbirth, the severity is not immediately recognized. Her uterus feels soft rather than firm. The nurse massages the uterus and changes the blood-soaked pads. More bleeding follows. The mother's blood pressure begins...

A 42-year-old woman arrives at a Florida emergency department after two days of vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and profound weakness. She tells the medical team that she has Addison's disease and takes daily steroid medication. Because she has been vomiting, however, she has been unable to keep her medication down. Her blood pressure is 88/54. Her heart rate is elevated. Blood testing shows a low sodium level, and she appears dehydrated. The initial diagnosis is gastroenteritis. She receives intravenous fluids and medication for nausea. Her blood pressure improves temporarily. Several hours later, it falls again. She becomes increasingly confused and...

A 46-year-old woman visits her primary care physician because she has been unusually tired for several months. She is working full time and raising two children, so fatigue does not initially seem unusual. But lately, climbing a flight of stairs leaves her winded. She has also noticed occasional blood after bowel movements. Blood tests reveal anemia. Because she still has menstrual periods, the anemia is attributed to menstrual blood loss. The rectal bleeding is blamed on hemorrhoids. She begins taking iron supplements. Six months later, she returns. Her hemoglobin has improved slightly but remains abnormal. She tells the physician that...

Medical Malpractice Claims When the Injured Patient Cannot Act for Themselves Medical malpractice can sometimes cause injuries so severe that the patient is no longer able to make decisions, communicate with an attorney, or manage their own legal affairs. A patient may be in a coma. They may have suffered a serious brain injury, severe cognitive impairment, oxygen deprivation, or another catastrophic condition that prevents them from acting independently. When this happens, families may suddenly find themselves responsible for major medical and financial decisions while also trying to understand whether negligent medical care caused the injury. One of the first...

A 63-year-old man arrives at a Florida emergency department complaining of shortness of breath, chest pressure, weakness, and dizziness. Three weeks earlier, he underwent a cardiac procedure. Since then, he has felt progressively worse. He tells the emergency physician that he can barely walk across the room without becoming winded. His heart rate is elevated. His blood pressure is lower than usual. A chest X-ray is obtained. Blood tests are ordered. Because he recently underwent a procedure and is experiencing shortness of breath, physicians consider pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, medication effects, and heart failure. He receives intravenous fluids. For a short...

A woman who is 34 weeks pregnant calls her obstetrician's office because something feels wrong. For several days, she has experienced headaches that will not go away. Her hands and face appear swollen. That morning, she notices flashing lights in her vision. She is told that headaches and swelling are common during pregnancy and advised to rest, drink fluids, and call back if the symptoms worsen. The following evening, her headache becomes unbearable. Her husband drives her to a Florida hospital, where her blood pressure is dangerously high. Laboratory testing reveals evidence of organ involvement, and fetal monitoring raises concerns...