Medical Malpractice and Brain Damage

Medical malpractice can lead to serious injuries. From birth injuries to blood transfusion injuries, spinal cord injuries to surgical injuries, the effects of medical malpractice can result in long-term disabilities and, in some cases, even death. According of the National Institute of Health, almost a quarter of a million people are killed every year because of medical malpractice. This is not only at the hands of surgeons, doctors, or nurses, but from medication errors as well. It is estimated that 1.5 million are injured or killed because of medication errors.

Brain damage is one of the more serious and devastating consequences of a medical error and the causes vary in every case. The medical professional may fail to correctly treat a patient in an emergency and brain damage could have been prevented if they had received the proper care. As lack of oxygen causes brain damage, a simple error like a clogged oxygen tube during surgery could lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering. Brain damage is also all too common in infants. Birth injuries sustained because a mother was not given a Caesarian section in due time can cause fetal distress.

Although these are not all the result of medical malpractice incidents, in the U.S., there are approximately 1.4 million victims of brain injuries every year. It costs the country up to $60 billion because of lost earning potential and costly medical treatments. What makes these cases so tragic is that, in many situations, they could have been avoided. Brain damage is categorized into two main classifications: traumatic brain injury (TBI) and acquired brain injury (ABI). A traumatic brain injury results from a blow to the head, such as from falling debris or a gunshot. An acquired brain injury results from some kind of pressure on the brain, as from a tumor or a neurological illness.

Brain damage destroys or hurts the brain cells and there are specific symptoms that can appear if this has happened. Cognitive symptoms include difficulty with attention span, understanding others, and processing information. Perceptual damage will affect vision, smell, taste, balance, pain sensitivity, spatial orientation, and perception of time. Physical brain damage will show up as headaches, fatigue, tremors, seizures, light sensitivity, paralysis, and more. The last category of brain damage affects the victim's behavior. After a brain injury, their personality may change, their emotions heighten or reduce, they become more aggressive and irritable, or they completely deny that something is wrong with them.