Is Failure to Diagnose Preeclampsia Medical Malpractice? | Illinois

 Posted on October 31, 2024 in Medical Malpractice

Although some expectant mothers experience minor issues such as morning sickness and heartburn, some develop severe conditions that endanger both mother and child. Preeclampsia, also called toxemia, is such a condition. Failing to diagnose and treat preeclampsia promptly can lead to devastating consequences. Although this condition is somewhat rare, any obstetrician or midwife should be well aware of its symptoms and potential risks.

If you, your spouse, or your child suffered harm because your healthcare provider failed to diagnose preeclampsia, you could be entitled to compensation through a medical malpractice or wrongful death claim. A trusted Illinois birth injuries attorney from Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois, can assess your situation, gather supporting evidence, and fight to help you obtain all eligible damages.

What Is Preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a condition that typically affects expectant mothers after their 20th week of pregnancy. Symptoms include:

• High blood pressure

• Low blood platelet count

• Protein in the urine or other kidney issues

• Impaired liver function

• Severe headaches that do not respond to pain relievers

• Fluid in the lungs

• Vision disturbances, such as seeing floating white specks

• Swollen hands, face, legs, ankles, and feet

• Sudden weight gain

Complete bedrest is typically prescribed, with women lying on their left sides to promote circulation. Although some medications may address symptoms, the only cure is delivering the baby. Induced labor or C-section delivery is sometimes necessary to save mother and child. Preeclampsia usually disappears on its own within 48 hours of childbirth.

Preeclampsia can cause serious, potentially fatal problems for the mother, such as:

• Kidney or liver damage

• Stroke

• Brain injury

• Miscarriage

• Placental abruption

• Death

Babies can also suffer, particularly if they are born preterm. Risks include low birth weight, stillbirth, slower development, breathing issues, complications from placental abruption, and long-term medical conditions.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

All healthcare professionals have a legal obligation to uphold high standards of care when treating patients. Anyone can make a mistake, even doctors. However, if a doctor’s mistake is one that most other physicians with similar qualifications would not have made, it may be considered medical malpractice.

To qualify for compensation, you must have suffered harm directly because of a provider’s mistake, and that harm must have caused damages, which are specific financial or intangible losses. In cases involving preeclampsia, medical malpractice might take the form of:

• Failing to diagnose or treat the condition

• Diagnosing the condition correctly, but after a delay in which harm may have been caused

• Diagnosing and treating a different condition

• Failing to perform a necessary C-section or delaying the decision

• Failing to monitor the mother closely after her diagnosis

• Failing to fully explain the risks associated with the disease

• Failing to order proper treatment

If your case qualifies, your damages could include the current and future costs of medical treatment for you and your child, lost wages, ongoing care expenses, and the various ways the misdiagnosis diminished your quality of life. If the misdiagnosis causes a fatality, a wrongful death action may provide additional damages.

Call Our Skilled Rockford, IL Medical Malpractice Lawyers Today

Attempting to handle a complex claim on your own is often a mistake, especially when dealing with medical conditions like preeclampsia and its consequences. Call Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois, at 815-215-7561 for your free consultation with our knowledgeable Winnebago County, IL wrongful death attorneys.