While you expect your doctor to provide you with the proper health care, medical malpractice is an all too common and often devastating occurrence. At Balderrama Law Firm LLC, our personal injury lawyers help clients handle the complex issues that come with medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits. While it can be difficult to prove malpractice, because of the catastrophic injuries that can arise from medical errors, it is imperative you contact a Carlsbad, NM, injury attorney if you think you have a malpractice claim on your hands. 

If you are not sure whether you have grounds to file a medical malpractice lawsuit, consider these five most common causes of malpractice claims and ask yourself if you experienced similar mistreatment.

5 Most Common Causes Of Medical Malpractice Suits

1. Missed Diagnosis

The number one cause of medical malpractice lawsuits is a missed diagnosis, which also includes delayed diagnosis and failure to diagnose. Without a proper or timely diagnosis, a physician cannot provide the medical treatment necessary to aid a full recovery.

2. Medication Errors

These claims involve errors in the prescription, dosage, and administration of medications. If death occurs as a result of a medication error or other careless act, the family may be entitled to a wrongful death claim.

3. Missed Test Results

Lab results can make a world of difference in how an individual is treated. If a doctor neglects to read the results correctly, it can mean disastrous and even fatal consequences for the patient. The misreading of lab results can lead to a missed diagnosis, medication errors, and the wrong treatment, all of which can prevent recovery.

4. Surgical Errors

Scarily enough, surgeons have and continue to make errors as large as operating on the wrong body part or even on the wrong patient. Such errors are typically the result of poor communication or a rushed procedure, two unacceptable reasons for such a huge mistake. 

5. Anesthesia Errors

When administering anesthesia, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, such as the patient’s age, size, medical condition, allergies, and other medications they’re on. The failure for an anesthesiologist to take even one of these factors into consideration can result in an overdose of the anesthetic or not enough anesthetic administered, both of which can have disastrous outcomes.

If you’ve sustained an injury in a health care setting, contact Balderrama Law Firm LLC right away. While proving medical malpractice can be difficult, with one of our thorough and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers on your side, your chances of success are greatly increased. For a free case evaluation, call (575) 234-1111 or visit our website today.