Have You Been A Victim of A Misdiagnosis of Melanoma?

Believe it or not, even with the growing awareness of skin care and sun safety, the main cause of death from a form of skin disease is melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer and it can be quite serious and aggressive, making it very important to address quickly. When melanoma occurs, melanocytes are affected. Melanocytes are specific types of cells that are in charge of giving skin its pigmentation, which is referred to as melanin. Melanin is a natural material that provides color for the skin and hair.

While everyone tends to think of just the skin area when discussing melanoma, it can also affect the iris of the eye, which is the area that is colored. That being said, it is most common for melanoma to develop on the skin that overall appears normal. It can also start off as a mole or other area that is abnormal and can change with time. Moles that are present from very early on, even birth, can develop into melanoma.

Should You Make A Medical Negligence Claim?

When we have been mistreated by a medical professional we are entitled to compensation via a medical negligence claim. However, many people are reluctant to make such a claim. There are a number of reasons for this.

Not Knowing Your Rights

Some people aren't even aware that they are entitled to make a medical negligence claim if they have been mistreated, misdiagnosed or received poor care. Of course, the medical profession isn't going to shout about the fact and so patients are largely unaware of their rights. It IS the case, though, that if you have suffered because of poor treatment then you CAN make a claim.

Medical Negligence - Who Is to Blame and Is It Right to Claim?

Errors committed by medical professionals in the course of their work result in hundreds of thousands of medical negligence claims every year. Either an institution or an individual practitioner may be at fault while dealing with patients under their care. GPs, hospital doctors, surgeons, clinicians, nurses and orderlies may be individually to blame, otherwise a patient's condition may represent an institutional shortcoming, such as the high profile failure of many hospitals to deal with the MRSA virus in recent years. Wherever the responsibility lies, the result will often be potentially high value clinical (medical) negligence compensation claims against the private or public health care provider concerned.

Medical negligence claims are often complicated affairs, some of which last for years, and this is only partly explained by ramifications of medical decisions, and the depth of bitterness involved in many cases.

When Can Patients Sue a Hospital for Negligence?

When can you sue the hospital or its employees for negligence?

A hospital can be sued for negligence for mistakes that harm or kill a patient. When an employee of the hospital is guilty of negligence, you can sue the hospital. When a doctor working for a hospital makes a mistake, both the doctor personally and the hospital as a whole can be sued. However, doctors can only be sued if they were present and could have prevented the negligence. You cannot sue every doctor in the Emergency Room or surgical floor, only the one who administered or oversaw your treatment. Hospitals can also be sued when a doctor with a history of negligence and medical mistakes was kept on the payroll, thus enabling them to continue harming patients.

What constitutes neglect?

How Negligence Can Lead To Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy compensation can never erase the terrible difficulty of living with cerebral palsy, but a successful claim can help to hugely increase quality of life for the sufferer and their family.

Cerebral palsy is defined as any non-progressive motor disorder caused by chronic brain injuries in the prenatal and perinatal stages and within the first few years of life. Disorder in motor function caused by the condition can range from difficulty in finer motor functions to sever and constant muscle spasticity. Cerebral palsy affects 1 in 400 babies in the U.K. According to The International Cerebral Palsy Task Force, an estimated 10% of cerebral palsy cases are caused by injuries inflicted during the birth.

Medical malpractice claims are complex issues. Claims concerning cerebral palsy in particular need to take into account a vast number of factors. 

Care Home Negligence Claims

It's a fact of life that as our parents reach old age it may be necessary to put them into care so they can be looked after properly and with the responsibility that elderly care requires. Unfortunately, there are instances when elderly people are not treated the way they should be and this can lead to serious problems with an elderly person's mental and physical health.

If you or one of your relatives has experienced negligence or neglect in a home or hospital then you may be entitled to medical negligence compensation. First you will need to make a formal complaint to the home or hospital and see how they handle the situation. If nothing is done, or your complaint is overlooked then it's time to speak to a solicitor who is skilled in the type of medical negligence case you are after - elderly negligence.

Cases of medical negligence in the care home can occur when the care for the elderly falls below what is expected. 

Laser Eye Surgery Compensation

Around 100,000 people have laser eye surgery each year and as this type of surgery is often held out by private surgeries, prices of the treatment can usually be negotiated between patient and surgeon. Some surgeries offer prices as low as £750 for both eyes, which is why more and more people are being drawn to the idea of a life without glasses or contacts.

Laser surgery involves changing the shape of the cornea, the transparent part of the eye that covers the iris and pupil to allow people to see better and have improved vision. Obviously the cornea is a very delicate part of the eye and surgeons must be fully-trained to perform this type of procedure.

The huge majority of people who have undergone laser eye surgery have been happy with their results, but unfortunately there are cases of medical negligence when it comes to corrective laser eye surgery. 

What Is Shoulder Chondrolysis?

Shoulder chondrolysis, also known as post arthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis (PAGCL), is a somewhat new condition that refers to the cartilage of the shoulder deteriorating after arthroscopic surgical procedures.

This condition can be quite devastating, causes severe discomfort and pain, and can limit the shoulder on a permanent basis. There are no treatments at this time that are known to be effective in repairing the cartilage damage, and many patients are faced with having to undergo another surgical procedure referred to as glenohumeral arthoplasty, or a shoulder replacement.

To make matters even worse, the main cause of shoulder chondrolysis has been tied to the use of intra articular pain pumps. These pumps are designed to administer medication to the joint of the shoulder after an arthroscopic surgical procedure.

Arachnoiditis Lawsuits

Arachnoiditis is a chronic incurable spinal condition which causes severe pain and various other problems. It gets its name from the description of what it is: inflammation of the arachnoid layer of the meninges, which are protective layers around the spinal cord and brain.

Arachnoiditis is a sort of chronic meningitis of the middle layer. The name stems from the scientific term for spider because the layer resembles a spider's web in appearance. This web becomes tangled when it is chronically inflamed, with Scar tissue binding the nerve roots together, causing pain and numbness/tingling in the parts of the body supplied by these roots.

A chronic condition has the potential to turn your life upside down and put you in a difficult position with regard to living your life they way you want to. If you feel as though your Arachnoiditis is the result of medical malpractice, or stems from unnatural means, then you may be eligible to receive compensation for this negligence in the form of damages through a lawsuit.