Failure to Diagnose Aneurysms

Failure to diagnose aneurysms has been the direct cause of thousands of cases of severe internal bleeding, brain damage, coma, paralysis and death. As an often-preventable medical event, an aneurysm can be repaired or treated if it is diagnosed in time.

When the conduct of emergency room staff or medical professionals results in a failure to diagnose an aneurysm, a medical malpractice lawsuit may be filed by the injured. Attorney Brett H. Oppenheimer is a Louisville medical malpractice attorney who represents patients and families who have been harmed by a failure to diagnose in the Kentucky area.

What Is an Aneurysm?

An aneurysm is a very dangerous problem that develops in a blood vessel — it’s a bulge or a dissection. A bulge is just what it sounds like; a weak spot in the blood vessel balloons outward. If not diagnosed and treated, this type of aneurysm can burst the blood vessel.

A dissecting aneurysm is different but just as dangerous. Blood vessels are composed of layers of tissue that lie together, and a dissection aneurysm makes a tear in the inside layer of the blood vessel. The blood goes through the tear, making the other layers separate (“dissect”).

The most common places for an aneurysm to occur are in:

• The aorta — the largest artery in the body; it carries blood from the heart to other blood vessels
• The brain — the brain uses about 15%–20% of the body’s oxygen, carried to the brain by blood vessels

A Failure to Diagnose an Aneurysm Can Be Fatal

There are definite symptoms and signs that suggest an aneurysm, and medical professionals are trained to spot and diagnose these signs, which include:

• Aortic aneurysm: Severe chest pain, rapid heartbeat, back pain, sweating, dizziness, vomiting, nausea
• Brain aneurysm: Severe headache, seizure, light sensitivity, pupil dilation, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms

A failure to diagnose an aneurysm may occur when a doctor or other medical professional does not recognize or take note of a patient’s symptoms of aneurysm, or doesn’t order testing or imaging to further explore the patient’s condition, or discharges a patient from the ER or hospital prematurely.

The consequences of a failure to diagnose an aneurysm can be very severe, even fatal. Brett Oppenheimer fights for the compensation that medical malpractice victims deserve.

To arrange a free consultation to discuss your case, contact our Louisville medical malpractice lawyers today.