Chicago Medical Malpractice Law Blog

Pediatricians treat countless children every week in Chicago and throughout the entire state of Illinois for various illnesses and diseases. Fortunately, doctors commonly see children with similar cold or flu-like symptoms that simply result in parents being told to bring their children home so that their kids can get plenty of rest.

But what Illinois parents need to understand is that each child's symptoms and situation are unique and doctors are responsible for making sure that each child is thoroughly examined in case a child's symptoms are actually caused by a serious infection such as bacterial meningitis. Failing to properly diagnose a child's symptoms could cause the child to suffer serious or fatal health complications if he or she does not receive immediate treatment for an infection.

This month, a lawsuit was filed against a pediatrician who allegedly diagnosed a 7-year-old boy with an ear infection after the child complained of a painful headache. Days later, the boy was rushed to the emergency room and diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, an infection that can turn deadly or cause serious harm if not treated in time.

In the last 10 years, the number of epidural shots administered by medical professionals to treat neck and back pain for Medicare patients in the U.S. has increased by 159 percent. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, about 8.9 million Americans received the injections during 2010. However, the FDA is now reviewing the safety of epidural injections as studies and complaints regarding side effects of the steroid shots such as strokes, paralysis, brain injuries and death continue to increase.

Injections to treat neck and back pain are increasing as a result of more Americans aging, but the number of injections administered each year may also be increasing because of the reimbursements doctors get from administering the steroid shots. Reimbursements for epidural shots can range from $200 to $600. Last year, Americans spent $23 billion on epidural steroid shots and other shots to treat chronic pain.

But do these shots benefit patients and are they even safe in the first place? Or are doctors administering the injections more than what is necessary in order to receive generous reimbursements?

When a child is ill, Chicago parents put their trust in doctors to make an accurate diagnosis so that their child can get better. Although the illnesses many Illinois pediatricians and family doctors diagnose on a daily basis are the common cold, ear infections or the flu, physicians must not be too quick to rule out other serious infections or diseases. Failing to overlook important warning signs that a child could be suffering from something far more serious could cause the child to experience further health complications.

The family of a 5-year-old girl in Minnesota knows all too well how a misdiagnosis can affect a child's health and future. The girl's parents said that a bump had been growing on their daughter for about a year after she was born, but the child's doctor did not diagnose her condition. About a year after her birth, a pediatric oncologist diagnosed the girl with a rare and aggressive muscular cancer. The family has since sued the child's doctor claiming that the child's life expectancy has been significantly reduced as a result of the cancer misdiagnosis.

Illinois patients may understand that there are many risks involved whenever an individual undergoes surgery. But when patients undergo a surgery that is commonly performed in Chicago and throughout the entire nation, such as having one's wisdom teeth removed, patients may assume that there is little risk of anything going wrong during or after the procedure.

But in April, the parents of a 17-year-old girl learned just how dangerous having one's wisdom teeth removed can be after their daughter died from oxygen deprivation during the commonly performed surgery. Now the parents are suing the oral surgeon and the anesthesiologist for medical malpractice. The lawsuit claims that the medical professionals are responsible for the teen's wrongful death after they failed to resuscitate her in time when complications were first noted during the wisdom tooth surgery.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, about 10 million wisdom teeth are pulled each year in the U.S. Extraction is often recommended in order to prevent individuals from developing infections, cavities, cysts, tumors and damage to other teeth and bones. But some question whether or not the surgery is even necessary for most individuals.