DC Appendicitis Misdiagnosis Lawyer

Anyone who has been through an appendicitis attack knows just how urgent this medical crisis is. Delayed or misdiagnosis of appendicitis can have dire consequences on a person’s health. If you or a family member have been the victim of appendicitis misdiagnosis, an experienced medical malpractice lawyer in DC can help you pursue the compensation you deserve.

How Appendicitis Is Misdiagnosed

Appendicitis is misdiagnosed more frequently than many people realize. This is because the appendix is located in the abdomen, and there are numerous different causes of abdominal pain.

Potential problems with the liver, spleen, kidneys, bladder, urinary tract, small and large bowels, female reproductive organs, gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach have all been blamed for pain that turns out to ultimately be appendicitis.

Patients have been wrongly diagnosed with gallstones, urinary tract infections, stomach ulcers, gastroenteritis, constipation and Crohn’s disease, among other conditions.

Patients who present with atypical symptoms are more likely to be misdiagnosed. Children, women of childbearing age, and senior citizen patients are most likely to be misdiagnosed. Men suffering appendicitis are most frequently misdiagnosed as having colitis or diverticulitis, while women are often thought to be suffering from an ovarian cyst, rather than appendicitis.

If you or your child were provided wrong information, which was actually appendicitis, an experienced appendicitis misdiagnosis attorney in DC can help you hold the doctors or hospital accountable for his or her misdiagnosis.

Appendicitis Misdiagnosis Complications

The longer appendicitis goes undiagnosed, the greater the risk for complications. Misdiagnosed appendicitis can result in perforation – commonly called a ruptured appendix – blood sepsis, and even death.

If perforation is discovered quickly, the outcome is typically better. One reason is that acute appendicitis can be treated with laparoscopic surgery, but once the appendix ruptures, the more invasive open surgery is required.

Negative Appendectomies

While many appendicitis attacks are misdiagnosed as another ailment, resulting in dangerous complications, the reverse can also be true. Sometimes, doctors perform unnecessary appendectomies where the appendix turns out to not have been the cause of the patient’s pain after all.

All surgeries carry risks, and an unnecessary surgery brings the possibility of complications, as well as simply the cost of paying for and recovering from a needless procedure. Additionally, the delayed diagnosis and treatment of the true disease or condition the patient suffers from can cause further damages for which the physician or hospital may also be liable.

Regardless of whether your doctor failed to properly diagnosis your appendicitis, or you underwent a negative appendectomy, your DC appendicitis misdiagnosis malpractice lawyer can fight for the reimbursement necessary to cover the medical bills and other costs you are facing.

Appendicitis Testing in DC

Proper use of lab testing and diagnostic imaging techniques may decrease the risk of appendicitis misdiagnosis. If a patient is exhibiting even some signs of potential appendicitis, the emergency room physician should order appropriate testing, including x-rays, CT scans, abdominal ultrasounds, and blood tests.

Your appendicitis misdiagnosis malpractice attorney in DC can analyze your medical records and consult with medical experts to determine whether the doctors and hospital followed proper protocols and ordered adequate testing.