HOSPITAL MALPRACTICE AND NEGLIGENCE

Hospital malpractice causes thousands of injuries and deaths every year. Cases of medical negligence often involve complex issues regarding emergency room care, surgery, intensive care treatment, labor and delivery and medication errors. These cases require extensive medical research, investigation and analysis. The New York medical malpractice lawyers at Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP are skilled at prosecuting hospital negligence cases and effectively prosecuting this type of medical malpractice.

There's no question about it: hospitals can be dangerous places. Medical mistakes in the diagnosis and treatment of hospital patients are unfortunately among the most common cases of hospital malpractice seen by malpractice lawyers. Misdiagnosis of the patient's condition, improperly interpreted diagnostic tests, negligently performed surgeries and medication errors are all examples of medical negligence and can all have devastating effects on patients already admitted to a hospital with an illness or injury. This can be considered hospital malpractice.

Understaffing of hospitals and overworking of hospital employees contributes to the dangers of a hospital visit. Long delays in emergency rooms, as well as waiting for radiology tests and delays in performing surgery can all permit a patient's condition to worsen. In addition, patients frequently arrive at the hospital with one type of illness, and sustain an injury or infection in the hospital that they never had before. Often these patients are in much worse physical condition leaving the hospital than when they went in. Sometimes patients injured by a hospital in the case of medical negligence require extensive treatments or multiple surgeries to recover.

Because hospitals often treat hundreds of patients at a time, serious medical mistakes can occur due to the simple failure to check the wristband of a patient to make sure the patient is receiving the proper medications or treatments. In addition, hospital staff is responsible for assessing each patient's risk of falling, and for placing bedrails in the upright position for patients at high risk for falls. The failure to take this basic precaution is hospital malpractice and if the patient falls out of bed or is otherwise injured as a result, fractures, heart attacks, strokes and other life-altering injuries could result.

Medical negligence cases are not always the result of the negligence or mistreatment of illnesses or symptoms contracted outside the hospital. Infections contracted in the hospital setting represent another area of hospital negligence. Hospitals have infection control departments which set standards for infection protection and treatment. An infection acquired in a hospital is called a "nosocomial" infection. These can include pneumonia, staph infections, or infections of a surgical wound. Nosocomial infections should be treated aggressively, especially in patients with compromised immune systems. Often this involves intravenous antibiotic treatment, which may even continue once the patient is discharged from the hospital. In cases of medical negligence, the failure to timely diagnose or treat an infection in the hospital setting can result in systemic sepsis or worse.

Sending a patient home too soon is another common hospital mistake which can have tragic results. Releasing patients who have exhibited signs of stroke, symptoms of heart attack, kidney problems, blood disorders or untreated infections can also result in serious injuries, such as organ damage and death.

If you or someone you know sustained an injury during a hospital stay due to hospital malpractice or negligence, Levy Phillips and Konigsberg LLP have skilled New York medical malpractice lawyers who are experienced in cases of medical negligence can find out what happened and obtain the maximum possible compensation for the injuries.

For more information call 212.605.6200 or email

Diane Paolicelli      Alan J. Konigsberg