A brain injury can be caused in many ways, including trauma–from an assault or crash–and medical malpractice. In fact, a brain injury caused by medical malpractice is one of the most common ways for this type of injury to occur. This blog explores some of the different ways medical malpractice can cause a brain injury.
First, we have to define what a brain injury is. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, “An acquired brain injury (ABI) is an injury to the brain that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma.” This means the injury occurs after birth and is not due to some problem you were born with. There are two kinds of acquired brain injury: traumatic and non-traumatic. Since most medical malpractice does not involve a direct blow or force to the head, this blog will only deal with non-traumatic brain injury. For a list of other brain injury-related terms, please read our glossary.
Non-traumatic brain injuries involves damage to the brain by lack of oxygen (hypoxia), exposure to toxic chemicals, or even from pressure applied by a tumor. The most common non-traumatic brain injuries caused by medical malpractice include:
- Lack of oxygen to the brain that is not timely recognized
- Stroke that is not timely diagnosed or treated
- Meningitis that is not properly diagnosed
- Tumors that are not properly diagnosed
- Aneurysm that is not properly diagnosed
As you can see from the list, each of these conditions include diagnoses that are not properly diagnosed or treated by the doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. This is because each of these diagnoses is progressive. That means that at the beginning, the condition is completely treatable and the brain injury can be prevented. The longer the patient goes without the proper diagnosis and treatment, the worse the brain damage will get. Eventually, the damage will either cause catastrophic injury or even wrongful death.
Snyder & Wenner has been representing victims of brain injury due to medical malpractice for over 40 years. With offices in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson, and Avondale, we cover most of the state of Arizona (including Flagstaff). These cases are very complex as the injuries are complicated. If you or a loved one has suffered a brain injury due to medical malpractice, contact us today for a free case review.
