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Medical Malpractice Alert: Arizona CRNAs No Longer Require Supervision

snyder-wenner · Sep 4, 2020 ·

Medical malpractice cases are about to be on the rise in Arizona. Governor Doug Ducey inexplicably opted Arizona out of a federal physician supervision requirement for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). This means CRNAs no longer require supervision of a physician when treating patients.

So what does this mean for patients? It means that CRNAs, who are considered mid-level practitioners, can now work independently. It means that patients will be treated by someone who does not have the full training of an anesthesiologist, but who thinks he/she has that full knowledge and skill sit. Most importantly, it means someone with only an extra 2-3 years of school will be monitoring patient’s vital signs during surgery and will be expected to intervene to save the patient’s life, if necessary. In other words, it means that medical malpractice cases are about to be on the rise.

In a recent Op-Ed piece for the Arizona Capitol Times, anesthesiologist Heidi Tavel, MD explains why this decision from Gov. Ducey is so ridiculous and short-sighted. Dr. Tavel notes that the decision was made “without input from the public or the state’s medical community and risks patients’ lives — and for no reason.” Eliminating the requirement for physician supervision will not result in any cost savings; it only “lowers the standard of care for patients.” Anesthesiologists are critical to safeguarding patients’ well-being. They literally monitor every heartbeat while the patient is under anesthesia. If something goes wrong, the anesthesiologist is expected to immediately intervene to save the patient’s life. That need now lies in the hand of a practitioner who has significantly less training and education. What could possibly go wrong?

Aortic Dissection – Medical Malpractice

snyder-wenner · Aug 22, 2020 ·

What Is An Aortic Dissection?

Did you know the aorta is the largest artery in the body? It connects to the heart and transports blood to the entire body by delivering blood to other vessels. The aorta can tear because of a birth defect or an acquired problem. This is known as an aortic dissection. According to a recent article published by the University of Chicago, aortic dissection is to blame for more than 13,000 deaths every year in the United States.

Aortic dissections can be caused by any of the following:

High blood pressure
Atherosclerosis
Aneurysm
Aortic valve defect
Certain genetic conditions like Marfan syndrome
Birth defects
Connective tissue diseases
Trauma (such as from a car crash or a fall)
Previous heart surgery

What Are The Signs and Symptoms Of An Aortic Dissection?

Symptoms of an aortic dissection can be similar to a heart attack and can include:

Sudden severe chest or upper back pain
Sudden severe abdominal pain
Loss of consciousness
Shortness of breath
Sudden difficulty speaking, loss of vision, weakness or paralysis of one side of your body
Weak pulse in one arm
Leg pain
Difficulty walking
Leg paralysis

Aortic dissections can be diagnosed through several different diagnostic tests like an X-ray, CT Scan, Transesophageal Echocardiogram, MRI Scan, and MRA.

How Does Medical Malpractice Factor In?

Aortic dissections are an emergency condition. Because of that, an emergency room doctor, physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, or nurse may fail to recognize the signs and symptoms of an aortic dissection. As a result, they failing to order the tests needed for an accurate diagnosis. Even when the provider does order the appropriate tests, radiologists can fail to timely diagnose the aortic dissections. Failure to do properly and timely diagnose the condition can lead to permanent catastrophic injuries or death. This may be the basis for a medical malpractice case.

If you or a loved one suffered an aortic dissection that was not timely diagnosed and treated and caused catastrophic injury or death, you need to contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C.

Wrongful Death Cases in Phoenix, Arizona

snyder-wenner · Aug 15, 2020 ·

What is “wrongful death”?

A wrongful death lawsuit is a different type of lawsuit that can be filed when a person dies as the result of a wrongful act, neglect, or default of another person or corporation. A wrongful death can arise due to:

Medical malpractice
Nursing home abuse or neglect
Birth trauma
Car, truck, or commercial vehicle crash
Product defect

To qualify as a plaintiff to bring a wrongful death lawsuit you must be any one of the following: the surviving (1) husband, (2) wife, (3) child, (4) parent or guardian, or (5) personal representative of the deceased person for and on behalf of the husband, wife, child, parent or guardian, or if none exist, on behalf of the deceased’s estate. Wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within the applicable statute of limitations. In Arizona, typically statute of limitations for a wrongful death case is two years from the date of death. There are some exceptions to that rule. For example, if the death was caused by a governmental entity or employee, you must file what is known as a notice of claim within 180 days of the death. Additionally, if you are under the age of 18, you may be able to wait to file a wrongful death lawsuit until two years after your 18th birthday or 180 days after your 18th birthday if the death was caused by a governmental entity or employee. Failure to file a lawsuit or notice of claim by the applicable statute of limitations may preclude you from ever doing so.

What are the damages in a wrongful death lawsuit?

In a wrongful death case, you may be entitled to seek damages for:

The loss of love, affection, companionship, care, protection, and guidance since the death of the deceased and in the future.
The pain, grief, sorrow, anguish, stress, shock, and mental suffering already experienced, and reasonably probable to be experienced in the future.
The income and services that have already been lost as a result of the death, and that are reasonably probable to be lost in the future.
The reasonable expenses of funeral and burial.
The reasonable expenses of necessary medical care and services for the injuries that resulted in the death.

In addition to those damages, if the death was caused as a result of the intentional, knowing, or reckless conduct or by the conscious disregard of another, you may be entitled to seek what are known as punitive damages to punish the person or corporation for the death.

What else do you need to know about wrongful death cases?

Losing a loved one is a terrible experience which is only made worse by the negligent or intentional acts of another. The cases can be very complicated, so it is critically important that you and your family have a law firm representing you that not only has the experience in litigating wrongful death cases, but also the financial resources to do so. Insurance companies (even those for doctors and hospitals) will always try to convince you to settle your claim for less than it is worth. If you do not have proper representation, you could fall victim to that scheme.

If you or a loved one believe has lost a family member due to negligence, contact the experienced wrongful death lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C.

Medical Malpractice at Tucson Urgent Care Facilities

snyder-wenner · Aug 6, 2020 ·

Urgent care facilities can diagnose and treat common, non-life threatening conditions. Unfortunately, medical malpractice at Tucson urgent care facilities is a relatively common occurrence, as they a that do not have the knowledge, experience, or capabilities to handle serious, life-threatening conditions. The Tucson metropolitan area is home to many urgent care facilities owned by large health care institutions like Banner Health, NextCare, FastMed, and Concentra as well as smaller urgent care chains and individually owned urgent cares.

If you seek treatment at a Tucson area urgent care, you could be treated by a doctor, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner for your medical condition. It is not uncommon for you to be seen by a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner and not a doctor when you go to a Tucson area urgent care. Physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners do not have the length of education or training as a doctor does which can lead to a lack of understanding of certain medical conditions and how to diagnose and treat them. Moreover, doctors, physician’s assistants, and nurse practitioners working at Tucson area urgent care facilities may not have training or experience in emergency medicine or pediatrics. This lack of education, training, and experience can lead to catastrophic injury or death, which is why medical malpractice at Tucson urgent cares is on the rise.

Much like a hospital or doctor’s office, you can sue an urgent care for medical malpractice resulting from a catastrophic injury or death. Some common types of medical malpractice cases arising from a Tucson urgent care include:

Failure to diagnose
Misdiagnosis
Failure to treat
Inadequate examination
Inadequate testing
Inadequate instructions to follow-up with your primary care doctor or emergency room if your condition worsens
Prescribing the wrong medication

If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury or death as a result of negligence occurring at a Tucson area urgent care, you need to contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C.

Birth Injury In Tucson, Arizona

snyder-wenner · Jul 13, 2020 ·

In Tucson, a birth injury can occur as the result of the negligence of a doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife, physician assistant, nurse, hospital, or birthing center. Birth injuries caused by medical malpractice can occur during pregnancy, labor, or delivery.

A birth injury to an infant that survives can have a significant and catastrophic impact on that child’s life. Likewise, a birth injury that results in the loss of your baby will cause immeasurable grief and can be devastating to the family.

Birth injuries during pregnancy can occur when the medical provider fails to diagnose and timely treat conditions that can affect the mother and baby. If a medical provider fails to monitor the health of the mother and baby during pregnancy, serious medical conditions such as preeclampsia, placenta previa, placental abruption, fetal brain damage, and diabetes can occur.

During labor, the medical provider must monitor both the mother and the baby. Failure to properly monitor the mother can lead to complications such as uterine rupture, preeclampsia, and post-partum hemorrhage. The medical provider must also monitor the baby’s vitals and watch for fetal distress. If the baby is showing signs of distress, failure to timely intervene may cause birth injury or death.

Medical Malpractice can cause birth injuries such as:

1. Brachial Plexus injury;
2. Spinal Cord Injury;
3. Cerebral Palsy;
4. Bell’s Palsy;
5. Oxygen deprivation leading to significant brain damage or death;
6. Shoulder dystocia; and
7. Death.

Because Tucson is home to the University of Arizona Medical School, medical students, residents, fellows, and doctors from the University of Arizona may be involved in your and your baby’s medical care before and during delivery. If you or your baby were injured before or during delivery, it is important that you contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C. If you believe one of your medical providers is from the University of Arizona there is a possibility that your lawsuit must be filed within 180 days (or 180 days from the baby’s 18th birthday)

If you suspect your baby suffered a catastrophic injury or death as a result of the negligence of a doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife, physician assistant, nurse, hospital, or birthing center in Tucson, Arizona contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C.