Women’s Health Issues and Misdiagnosis – Information from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-Based Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Like all patients, women deserve careful, personalized medical care. And because women require specific kinds of care, they face unique risks at the hospital. If physicians deviate from standard medical procedure when confronting health issues specific to women, they may be liable for any harm that results.
If you are experiencing unusual complications following hospital treatment or misdiagnosis of a medical condition, our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based medical malpractice attorneys will help you determine whether your difficulties are the result of unsatisfactory or inappropriate medical care. Provided below is information regarding several women's health issues that commonly involve medical malpractice.
Reproductive/Gynecological Issues
Because the female reproductive system is unique and complex, women often require specialized medical care from their doctors. Medical malpractice relating to reproductive or gynecological issues often involves injuries during childbirth, surgical errors, or the failure to diagnose serious conditions such as cancer.
Birth Injuries
If the joy of giving birth has been marred by injuries you or your child sustained during the delivery process, you should speak to an attorney with a special focus in medical malpractice and birth injury cases. Not all birth injuries can be attributed to medical malpractice; however, injury to the mother or child can occur when doctors, nurses, or other medical staff deviate from the accepted medical standards governing child delivery. Such negligence can lead to severe health conditions, including brain injury, developmental problems, and paralysis.
Surgical Errors
Some of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States are gynecologic. They include caesarean sections, hysterectomies, dilation and curettage, and the removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes. Each of these operations exposes female patients to unique risks, and it is the job of medical professionals to do everything they can to minimize the possibility of dangerous surgical errors. When a surgical procedure is performed poorly, unnecessarily, or in place of a more appropriate treatment, it can negatively affect a woman's health and cause unnecessary financial hardship.
Problems with Medical Tests
Many serious health issues affecting women require early detection for treatment to be successful. For this reason, women undergo a variety of routine diagnostic tests that indicate the presence of health problems such as breast cancer and cervical cancer. Mammograms and Pap smears often allow doctors to get an early start on treating cancer, which can make the difference between successful and ineffective treatment. It is therefore vital for medical personnel to administer such tests when appropriate and to correctly interpret the results. Unfortunately, studies show that Pap smears and mammograms are sometimes misread by lab technicians or doctors, which can have disastrous results.
Argon Beam Coagulation
The argon beam coagulator can be an effective means of treating the uterus during a myomectomy, a type of laparoscopic surgery designed to remove or reduce the size of swollen muscle cells that can cause uncomfortable pressure in the pelvis and unusually severe, frequent periods. The device is also used during laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, a condition in which lesions in the area surrounding the uterus can cause pain, excessive bleeding, and reproductive difficulties. When medical personnel fail to follow guidelines regarding the argon beam coagulator's use, potentially serious problems may arise, including difficulty having children and embolisms possibly leading to a heart attack. Surgeons are expected to have the proper training and experience to ensure optimal results during argon beam coagulation.
Talk to Our Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Attorneys
If you are a woman and believe you have been injured as a result of medical negligence, we urge you to contact our Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorneys for a consultation as soon as possible. Whether substandard medical care or misdiagnosis is to blame for your injuries, our attorneys in Pennsylvania can inform you of your rights and legal options. Our legal team will design an effective strategy to obtain the compensation you deserve.