Your child came home wheezing, so you gave him some allergy medication and let him go to sleep. In the morning, he was still struggling to breathe, so you took him to the doctor. There, your doctor said he had a minor cold and prescribed cold medicine.
The next day, your child was still struggling to get a deep breath. Worried about the doctor’s lack of concern, you rush your child to the hospital. There, the emergency room attendant sends your child immediately into treatment for an acute asthma attack. Only a few minutes later, your child is being scanned for a collapsed lung and rushed into the operating room for treatment.
Fortunately, cases of collapsing lungs are often treatable, though they do open your child up to the risk of a collapsed lung in the future. Had the doctor you saw the first day realized the severity of your child’s condition, this may have been avoided, though. As your child struggled for air, the worsening asthma took its toll and caused the lung to collapse completely. Without treatment, the positive outcome you received at the hospital may not have been the case.
Can you seek compensation after a doctor fails to identify an acute asthma episode? In some cases, it can be hard to identify asthma, especially in young children. However, the extent of your child’s wheezing and the level of oxygen in his blood should have been enough to diagnose a condition that required immediate treatment.
Something as simple as a bronchodilator can prevent asthma attacks from worsening and relieves symptoms in just a few minutes. Pediatric physicians should be familiar with conditions such as asthma, since it presents early in childhood most often. Known as a childhood disease, asthma may get better as your child ages, but failing to treat it can put his life at risk.
If your medical provider misdiagnosed your child, you may have a medical malpractice case against him or her. Your child’s life was on the line, and the failure to identify an asthma attack could have been fatal.
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