Appendix Diagnosis

How Doctor’s Negligence Can Result In Misdiagnosis Of Appendicitis

Misdiagnosis of any ailment is a serious matter. Sometimes, a misdiagnosis will result in prescribing wrong medication, which can harm a patient. It can also cause a delay in diagnosing the real ailment, which can lead to even more issues. In the case of appendicitis, delayed treatment can result in the bursting of the appendix. This could cause life-threatening infections in the body of the victim. This would be a case of severe medical malpractice.

Even with advanced technology, detecting appendicitis is very difficult. Therefore, the doctors should make sure that they follow proper physical tests, lab tests and even imaging tests before they diagnose the ailment. There are several cases in which the doctor’s negligence toward his duty can result in misdiagnosis. In the first place, he can judge the symptoms in an incorrect manner. Not all people have the same symptoms of appendicitis. These symptoms can therefore easily be treated as another issue instead of appendicitis. However, it is the duty of the doctor to avoid any treatments based on mere symptoms and do a thorough checkup and tests of the patient before anything else.

The doctor, upon hearing all of your symptoms and issues, will order a Complete Blood Count or CBC test. He will also take your previous medical history into account. Some doctors might even opt for imaging in order to find the real cause of your problems. Appendicitis can usually be misdiagnosed in cases of gynecological conditions, Crohn’s diseases and even cecal diverticulitis. The doctor will first opt for a differential diagnosis, then order tests to finally decide the definitive diagnosis.

If you have suffered an injury because of the negligence of the doctor, you will have to prove that the misdiagnosis of appendicitis caused troubles for you. You will have to show that the doctor did not follow the usual code of conduct for finding the ailment and behaved irresponsibly during the diagnosis. In a case where the doctor listens to your symptoms and starts medication for Crohn’s diseases without ordering any tests or opting for definitive analysis procedure, he can be booked for medical malpractice. He did not follow the standard code of conduct in this case. Therefore, he will be responsible for your personal injury.

In order for you to determine whether your doctor was negligent you should contact an expert at a medical malpractice law office. Please do not wait to call us now and find our your options, with a free consultation by MedMal Patient Advocacy.