Failure to diagnose contributes to patient’s death

Cancer is one of the worst diagnoses that a patient can receive. If the illness is caught soon enough then some patients may take comfort in knowing that they might have enough time for their treatments to be effective. Unfortunately, as some Louisiana residents have discovered, a failure to diagnose serious illness early can severely impact the effectiveness of treatment. A former patient’s family was recently awarded $4.2 million after a failure to diagnose kidney cancer was determined to have contributed to the patient’s death.

The man was officially diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2011 after blood was found in his urine sample. After the blood was discovered the then 51-year-old was diagnosed for the first time, to his knowledge, with hematuria. However, it was later revealed that blood was also found in a urine sample taken two years prior in 2009. While hematuria, blood in the urine, is often harmless, it can also be an indicator of serious illness.

When the mass was finally discovered in 2011 it had not only grown, but the cancer had also spread to other parts of the body. Just over three years later, in 2014, the man died of kidney cancer. The doctor’s failure to inform the patient that his symptoms could indicate cancer was determined to be a contributing factor in his death.

In addition to limiting the time available to treat the illness, a failure to diagnose serious illnesses, like cancer, can be the cause of an incredible amount of stress for both the patient and his or her family. Louisiana residents who believe that they are victims of medical malpractice may wish to speak with a malpractice attorney about their options for legal recourse. Victims or their families may be entitled to compensation for medical treatment costs, pain and suffering, funeral costs when necessary and/or other documented monetary damages.

Source: lowellsun.com, “Billerica man’s estate wins $4.2M medical malpractice suit“, Aaron Curtis, April 3, 2018