Rarely are babies born with heart defects in Texas. Still, when these conditions arise, parents trust that their child’s doctor can quickly recognize the issue and take the necessary steps to help their child. When this doesn’t happen the result can be brain injuries or permanent disability.
Recently, the parents of a five-year-old girl received a large settlement in a medical malpractice suit against the girl’s pediatrician. While under his care, she was found to have a heart condition that went undetected. Shortly after the birth the girl’s heart rate was higher than average. At that time, the pediatrician did not refer the child to a heart specialist. Shortly thereafter, the girl was having trouble breathing and the mother called in emergency services. While on the way to Johns Hopkins the girl’s heart stopped and she had to be revived during the trip. While in emergency surgery to repair the aorta her heart stopped again. She is now brain damaged because of her heart stopping.
Her parents argued that although heart conditions are rare in children, aorta issues are the most common types of heart defects, and their daughter’s condition could have been discovered had an echocardiogram been done. Therefore, the physician error occurred when the pediatrician failed to refer the child to a pediatric cardiologist because of her irregular heartbeat.
When a family is affected by the negligence of a physician it can be a life-changing situation. Medical bills can be enormous both for services rendered and for anticipated costs due to negligence. Future medical bills because of brain injuries can also be significant. Legal professionals skilled in medical malpractice can help Texas residents determine what went wrong with their loved one’s care and who is at fault. It is important to hold those people accountable for their actions so that they don’t cause harm to anyone else. Although the damage may be permanent, compensation can be available for families to deal with the major expenses they suddenly have.
Source: Cumberland Times-News, “Jury renders multi-million verdict in malpractice lawsuit,” Matthew Bieniek, Oct. 25, 2013
