Abstract View of Urban Scene and Skyscrapers
AV Preeminent
Justia Lawyer Rating
American Association for Justice

Failure to Diagnose DVT

Medical Malpractice Attorneys Representing Patients in Ocala

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition that occurs when a blood clot forms within a deep vein of the arms, pelvis, or legs. Sometimes these clots move through the bloodstream and become lodged in an artery in the lung, blocking the blood flow in what is known as a pulmonary embolism. Certain individuals are at greater risk of suffering from DVT, including people who are obese, who smoke, who have a recent surgery, or who are immobile for a long period of time. If you suffer an injury or a loved one dies as a result of a doctor's failure to diagnose DVT, you should consult the Ocala medical malpractice lawyers at the Dean Law Firm.

Pursuing Compensation for a Failure to Diagnose DVT

Symptoms of DVT may be misdiagnosed or missed by a doctor. Some symptoms include a painful or swollen leg area, redness with swelling, burning in the swollen area, or the dilation of surface veins, as well as breathlessness, chest pain, and low blood pressure. Patients who are at a higher risk of DVT should be screened. When a doctor makes a timely diagnosis, DVT may be treated with blood thinners and anticoagulant drugs. When a patient is seriously injured or dies due to a failure to diagnose DVT, their doctor may be liable for medical negligence.

The critical question is whether a doctor's breach of the professional standard of care caused the injuries or death. In Florida, you will need an expert physician to testify and provide an opinion that the defendant doctor failed to do what other competent physicians in the same practice area would have done in the same circumstances. The expert will need to be a health care provider who holds a valid, active license, specializes in the same specialty as the health care provider against whom the testimony is offered, and has devoted professional time in the three years immediately before the incident to active clinical practice in the same specialty, teaching students in the same specialty, or a clinical research program in the same specialty.

The prevailing professional standard of care for a particular health care provider is the same level of treatment, skill, and care that is recognized as acceptable by reasonably prudent, similar health care providers, given the relevant surrounding circumstances.

As the plaintiff, you will bear the burden of showing by the greater weight of evidence that the defendant's actions represented a breach of the prevailing professional standard of care and that they caused your injuries. A failure to diagnose or an incorrect diagnosis of DVT may be caused by a doctor's failure to develop a full medical history, a failure to perform a sound differential diagnosis, a failure to pay close attention to a patient's description of symptoms, a discharge without performing diagnostic tests, or an incorrect reading of test results, among other situations.

The damages that you may be able to recover for medical malpractice include both economic and noneconomic losses. They may include important concrete items of loss, such as lost wages, medical bills, medical mileage, hospital bills, and household services. They may also include intangible items of loss, such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of consortium. Your choice of attorney may make a big difference to the amount of damages that you recover for intangible items of loss.

Consult an Experienced Health Care Negligence Lawyer in the Ocala Area

At the Dean Law Firm, our Ocala attorneys can represent you in a claim related to a failure to diagnose DVT. We can also bring wrongful death claims on behalf of family members whose loved ones died due to a failure to diagnose DVT. Call us at 352-387-8700 or contact us via our online form to set up a free appointment with an injury lawyer. We also serve medical malpractice victims in Crystal River, The Villages, and other communities in Levy, Citrus, Lake, Sumter, and Marion Counties.