Nerve Damage Resulting From Medical Malpractice

Medical negligence can result any many types of injuries, including nerve damage.  In fact, nerve damage that is the result from a negligently performed surgery is a common type of medical malpractice lawsuit.  Patients who have experienced nerve damage can suffer from many different types of symptoms, including:

• Chronic pain
• Incontinence
• Loss of motor function
• Loss of sensation
• Mild tingling
• Numbness
• Paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia)
• Permanent or temporary loss of sensation or feeling
• Scarring and deformity
• Seizures

Nerves that have been severed can result in permanent loss of function and/or sensation.  If a nerve is damaged but not severed, the result can be chronic pain.  This pain usually gets worse over time.

Medical errors that commonly lead to nerve damage include:

• Failure to diagnose some degenerative conditions
• Improper application of devices, bandages, or surgical retractors
• Improper use of surgical tourniquets
• Improper patient positioning (resulting in too much pressure on a nerve for an extended period of time)
• Incorrect administration of anesthesia
• Intubation (breathing tube) errors
• Negligent use of surgical tools
• Nerve damage during childbirth
• Nicking the femoral artery
• Spinal surgery errors
• Surgical errors that sever nerves

Nerve Damage Caused by Anesthesia

Severe nerve damage can result when nerve blocks used to manage pain or local anesthesia are incorrectly administered.  Blood flow to specific nerves, the central nervous system, or brain can be prevented.  This type of error often occurs during childbirth and the results can be permanent with life changing disabilities.

Diagnosing Nerve Damage

Nerve damage can come in more than 100 different forms.  Each one has its own signs and symptoms.  A nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test can diagnose many types of nerve damage.  This test measures how effectively nerve impulses are flowing through the nerves.  However, even if a person is suffering from significant nerve damage, these tests can still yield normal results.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nerve damage resulting from the negligence of a medical professional, you should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible to evaluate your case.  All medical malpractice cases are complex and it is important that the injured party is able to prove that the medical professional involved was negligent and deviated from the standard of care.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.