A recent record setting birth injury settlement underscores the dangers of failing to diagnose and treat infections. In the settlement, the family of a 4-year-old boy will receive $47.5 million following the failure of two hospitals to diagnose and treat a bacterial infection. As a result of the 32-hour delay, the boy is now a quad-amputee. According to reports, the boy sustained a cut on his elbow after jumping into a swimming pool. The next day, he developed a high fever, fatigue and inflammation. His mother took him to see his pediatrician, who was concerned that he had an infection and instructed her to go to a nearby hospital for IV antibiotics. He was taken to the hospital, where tests were inconclusive, and doctors failed to give him any treatment for the bacterial infection. Despite the boy's worsening condition and signs of sepsis, he did not receive any treatment. When the infection was eventually diagnosed, 32 hours later, it took 3 hours before antibiotics were administered. He was subsequently diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome requiring amputation of both legs below the knee, along with his left hand and all the fingers on his right hand.
If your child develops an infection, treatment must be immediate. The failure to diagnose and treat an infection can have catastrophic and devastating consequences.
For more information or if your child has suffered harm as the result of a doctor or other health care provider's failure to diagnose and treat a condition, please contact our experienced California medical malpractice attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson for an immediate, confidential consultation.