Woman Dies Due to Misdiagnosed Throat Infection Reports Cleveland Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Cleveland, OH (Law Firm Newswire) April 9, 2012 – The plaintiff in this case had a sore throat and wound up dead. What happened?

“This is one shocker of a case,” commented Christopher Mellino. Mellino is a Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer of the Mellino Law Firm LLC in Ohio. “A young woman goes to the defendant’s office, complaining of a sore throat. Two days later she is dead. She received little in the way of treatment at the doctor’s office and was not thoroughly examined.”

The woman went to the doctor complaining of a sore throat. The physician only gave her viscous xylocaine to deal with the pain and soreness. He did not take samples and it is unclear as to whether or not he even looked down her throat when she was in his office. Two days later, the woman was taken to the emergency facility at her local hospital. She was in shock and suffering from severe metabolic acidosis (acidosis); a potentially fatal condition if not caught in time.

Acidosis happens when a person creates too much acid or the kidneys are not removing enough. It manifests itself in several ways; diabetic, lactic, hyperchloremic, kidney disease, distal tubular, proximal renal tubular, poisoning and severe dehydration.

While the young woman was still alive, blood cultures were drawn at the hospital. These cultures were later shown to have grown Group A streptococcus (GAS). Invasive GAS infections are the result of the bacteria breeching the defenses of the infected individual. Typically, those with chronic illnesses, steroid users, those with skin lesions, seniors and those who abuse alcohol or use injection drugs are at a higher risk of developing this disease. “No matter how the woman came to have this invasive and virulent infection, it could have been caught and treated by the doctor had he done a complete examination,” Mellino added.

The woman was ultimately transferred to another facility to obtain specialized care, however it was not long afterwards that she died. The medical examiner verified her death was caused by Group A streptococcus sepsis. The woman’s father filed a medical negligent wrongful death lawsuit that, in part stated the defendants failed to call for a Strep Screen and/or failed to prescribe antibiotics, which would have saved her life.

“Does this case stand a chance of winning? Based on the evidence, it is likely. If the necessary and prudent tests were not carried out in a manner that other doctors would have done in the same situation, then the door stands open for medical negligence,” observed Mellino.

For patients that feel they have been the victim of medical malpractice, do not wait to find out. Contact a competent Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer. The road to justice in cases like this is one that needs the aid and expertise of a skilled lawyer.

To learn more or to contact a Cleveland Medical Malpractice attorney or Cleveland malpractice attorney, visit http://www.christophermellino.com.

Mellino Law Firm LLC
200 Public Sq., Suite 2900
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Call: (216) 241-1901

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