Head of Orthopedic Surgery Leaves Infection Untreated, Loses $2.3 Million Lawsuit August 10, 2014.

August 4, 2014, leaderherald.com reported that a jury awarded a man $2.3 million for having to undergo hip replacement surgery when a doctor released him from the hospital without treating his infection.

According to lohud.com, the plaintiff visited a radiology department for an MRI in 2010. "While there, he was given an injection that is believed to have caused the infection," the site stated. A couple of days later, he checked into the hospital, which took a culture test. After a two-day stay and a 25-minute consultation with the head of orthopedic surgery, the plaintiff was released, despite the fact test results showed he was suffering from a serious and painful bacterial infection in need of immediate treatment.

By the time the plaintiff was rushed back to the hospital two days after his release, his hip was permanently damaged.

"He is disabled form his work in construction and he is limited in almost all the activities he used to enjoy before," his medical malpractice attorney stated.

Untreated Chest Infection Causes Endocarditis Death

In March, manchestereveningnews.co.uk reported that a 42-year-old man died of cardiac arrest after his chest infection was misdiagnosed and a radiology department mistake caused a further delay in treatment.

According to reporter Charlotte Cox, the father of two first visited his doctor in October 2011 for symptoms such as insomnia, night sweats, and lethargy. The doctor diagnosed him with a chest infection and prescribed an antibiotic, which ultimately made things worse and led to a referral to a rheumatologist, who "recognized his symptoms as indicating a heart infection, but after tests, failed to diagnose him."

When the patient returned to his doctor in May, he was told to stop taking antibiotics that would interfere with tests, such as a heart scan. Unfortunately, "due to a systemic failure, the scan order never reached the right department," Cox said. By the time he was diagnosed, it was too late.

The coroner ruled the man died of endocarditis but likely would have lived if he’d been treated sooner.

"An appropriate physician should have been able to recognize the symptoms as indicated," he said. "Had antibiotics started 48 hours before he probably would not have died."

Woman Dies After Meningitis Is Misdiagnosed as Ear Infection

In 2007, a 36-year-old woman went to her family doctor and a hospital for an earache. They prescribed ear drops and antibiotics, but she died four weeks after her first consultation, per telegraph.co.uk in 2009.

According to the coroner, the woman’s earache was actually a condition called masked mastoiditis, which developed into meningitis.

"I can’t believe no-one spotted she was seriously ill until it was too late," her husband said. "I’m glad the coroner recognized there was a missed opportunity to save [her] life. My family and I will have to live with the consequences of that missed opportunity for the rest of our lives."

If you have questions about filing a wrongful death lawsuit after a missed diagnosis, attorney Chris Mellino welcomes you to contact our Cleveland office for a free consultation. You may also download Chris’ free guide, Your Ohio Medical Malpractice Questions Answered, read testimonials, or learn about previous case results.