Misdiagnosis Results | Wall Huntington | Wichita Kansas

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    Failure to Diagnose and Misdiagnosis Results

    Misdiagnosis Results

    PATIENT CONTRACTS SEVERE ENDOMETRIOSIS DUE TO PHYSICIAN’S, FAILURE TO CONDUCT A PELVIC EXAM

    Larry Wall represented a young girl who developed endometriosis due to the failure of her family physician to conduct a pelvic exam at the time of her first menstrual cycle. Endometriosis is a painful and debilitating condition for which there is no cure. As a result of carelessness, she will experience periods of extreme pain for the rest of her life. The exact cause of endometriosis is unknown. The retrograde menstruation theory (trans-tubal migration theory) suggests that during menstruation some of the menstrual tissue backs up through the fallopian tubes, implants in the abdomen, and grows. However, in this case the failure of the doctor to conduct a pelvic exam prevented him from discovering that she had an intact hymen. Because of that condition all of her menstruation fluid backed up through the fallopian tubes. The case settled for a confidential amount without the need for a trial.

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    PATIENT SUFFERS TRAGIC DEATH DUE TO A PHYSICIAN’S FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT CERVICAL CANCER

    Larry Wall obtained a substantial settlement against two Wichita doctors for their failure to diagnose and timely treat cervical cancer in a 39 year old married woman. As a result of the negligence the woman was deprived of 42 years of life and suffered a horrible death. She was a Registered Nurse. An economist was retained and prepared a report that detailed the lost income and household services at $1.3 million. Thus, the case settled very close to the actual losses and without the risk of a trial. Cervical cancer should never occur in the United States. Please see the website below for steps you can take to protect yourself.

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    SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN DIAGNOSIS OF CERVICAL CANCER CAUSES PATIENT TO SUFFER EXTENSIVE SURGERY AND RADIATION THERAPY

    Larry Wall represented a woman who was told she had cervical cancer. The client had received annual pap exams. The defendants misread the PAP tests and reported the exams as normal. Larry Wall obtained the original slides and had them reread by an expert cytologist. The slides were actually all grossly abnormal. The delay in diagnosis caused her to suffer extensive surgery and radiation therapy. Settlement Confidential. If you have a question about a PAP test see the website for information.

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    PATIENT SUFFERS UNTIMELY DEATH DUE TO PHYSICIAN’S FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT UNSTABLE ANGINA, TREATMENT NOTES WERE ALTERED

    Larry Wall filed suit against a doctor in Colony, Ks. for his failure to diagnose and treat unstable angina. Unstable angina is new unexplained chest pain or shortness of breath that is an emergency. It requires immediate hospitalization. Unfortunately for the client he saw his family practice doctor on a Friday and his doctor and the cardiologist he consulted decided to wait until Monday to treat the condition. On Monday his wife took him to Wichita, Kansas to the cardiologists office for an early morning appointment. He was seen by a medical assistant and was given two doses of nitroglycerin which caused his blood pressure to drop dangerously low. The cardiologist was not even present when this occurred and when he finally arrived he didn’t know how to intubate the patient. As a result the patient suffered from lack of oxygen and ultimately died. The family practice doctor was also forced to admit that he had created two different sets of records for the single visit. Larry Wall retained an economist to testify that this wrongful death caused the heirs to lose several million dollars plus the advice and comfort of their husband, father and grandfather. The case settled on the eve of trial.

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    PATIENT SUFFERS FATAL STROKE WHEN PHYSICIAN FAILS TO DIAGNOSE HER BRAIN BLEED, ALERTED RECORDS SENT TO HOSPITAL WITH PATIENT

    Larry Wall filed suit against a doctor in Arkansas City, Kansas on behalf of a married mother of two for his failure to recognize that sudden onset of a severe headache and alarmingly high blood pressure are warning signs of a hemorrhagic stroke. The woman presented to her doctor without an appointment with complaints of a severe headache that developed suddenly without warning or any known reason. The nurse recorded her blood pressure at 210/100. If heeded, this warning sign gave the doctor ample time to treat and save the patient. Unfortunately, the doctor prescribed a water pill and sent her home where she was found later that day unresponsive. She was life watched to Wichita, Kansas. The doctor sent a “doctored” set of records with her in the ambulance. At he and his nurse’s deposition they both testified that she never complained of a headache. Larry Wall disclosed at the end of their depositions that he had the statements of two patients that had been in the waiting room that same day and had seen the victim crying with pain due to the severity of her headache. He also had 3 witnesses that had seen her at a coffee shop a few hours before and that she was complaining of the “worst head ache of my life.” Confronted with the realization that the altered records had been discovered and that the lie would not hide the malpractice the defendant quickly settled for $975,000.00. The doctor soon left the practice of medicine. He went to work for a doctor owned malpractice insurance company.

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    PATIENT SEVERELY INJURED WHEN HOSPITAL STAFF AND PHYSICIAN FAIL TO TIMELY DIAGNOSIS AND TREAT STROKE SYMPTOMS

    Larry Wall tried a malpractice lawsuit on behalf of a woman in Salina, Kansas. The lawsuit involved an ER doctor who was an active alcoholic at the time the client’s presented to the ER. The lawsuit also included four other doctors and the hospital. The patient had been experiencing TIA symptoms for about 30 days prior to her first visit to the ER. She was sent home without treatment for a stroke in progress. She returned to the ER a few days later with new stroke symptoms. The lawsuit also involved her primary care doctors for their failure to treat the TIA symptoms prior to the stroke and their failure to administer a clot buster drug called T.P.A., or to transfer to a stroke center. The jury returned a verdict against 3 doctors for $ 474,400.00. Larry Wall obtained a life care plan that projected an economic loss of $5,586, 673.00. Prior to the jury verdict the hospital involved settled for a confidential amount.

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    YOUNG BOY SUFFERS CATASTROPHIC INJURIES WHEN AN EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN AND HOSPITAL STAFF FAIL TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER

    A boy was taken by his Mother to a Wichita emergency room and to doctors for treatment of a fever and a rash. All the doctors failed to diagnose his illness as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Their carelessness resulted in the loss of use of the boys’ legs, the loss of four fingers, and the loss of his ability to hear and speak. Three attorneys took the case and settled it without authority from the Mother. She then hired Larry Wall and he filed pleadings to discharge the attorneys and to prevent enforcement of the alleged settlement. He also secured an out of state malpractice firm to try the lawsuit. The jury returned a verdict of 9.8 million dollars. Unfortunately, Kansas has a cap on damages for pain and suffering. Miller v. Johnson Because of the cap, the verdict was reduced to $4,252, 832.98. The Kansas Supreme Court is currently reviewing the appeal in Miller v. Johnson that challenges the constitutionality of the caps.

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    WRONGFUL DEATH OF PATIENT DUE TO CLINIC STAFF’S FAILURE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT CLASSIC SYMPTOMS OF UNSTABLE ANGINA

    Tina Huntington & Larry Wall filed suit against a doctor and a family practice clinic in Great Bend, Kansas for failure to diagnose and treat unstable angina. The patient presented to the clinic with complaints of a seven-day history of increasing shortness of breath, anxiety, and an inability to breathe while lying down. The patient was diagnosed with anxiety. She was given a handout on interventions. A complete physical examination was not obtained. No blood tests were ordered, nor was her heart and cardiovascular system evaluated. The patient returned to the clinic with continued complaints of shortness of breath. An echocardiogram was conducted. The echocardiogram results were abnormal. It revealed evidence consistent with an anterioseptal infarct (heart attack). The patient was only told she would be contacted regarding the significance of the echocardiogram findings. No blood tests were ordered. A treadmill exam was recommended. The patient was again diagnosed with anxiety. She was instructed on how to slow her breathing and given a prescription for Lorazepam. An employee of the clinic called the patient and advised her that no other echocardiograms were found for comparison, despite the fact a prior normal echocardiogram was contained in the clinic record. The patient returned to the clinic for a third time with continued shortness of breath and swelling. She was noted as pale and pasty with shallow breathing and an eighty-nine percent oxygen saturation. The clinic note indicated the patient as having had a cardiac work-up and chest x-ray that were all normal. A complete physical examination was not obtained. The patient’s heart and cardiovascular system were not evaluated. Sleep studies, ABG’s, and PFT’s were recommended. Two days later, the patient’s family took her to the emergency room because of increasing respiratory distress. She was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and possible acute coronary syndrome. The patient was stabilized and transferred to St. Francis hospital. Electrocardiogram studies were consistent with a recent antecedent anterior wall infarction. The patient’s ejection fraction was estimated to be thirty percent. A chest x-ray revealed she had cardiomegaly with bilateral interstitial alveolar edema. The patient went into acute rental failure and aggressive diuresis was instituted. The patient’s heart failure worsened, she developed cardiogenic shock, in addition to the acute renal and respiratory failure. The patient died that evening. During the critical visits to the clinic, the patient was seen by an advanced registered nurse practioner (ARNP) who by Kansas law is required to be under the supervision of an attending physician. However, there was no attending physician working at the clinic during the critical time frame for this patient. The case settled for a confidential sum prior to trial.

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    WRONGFUL DEATH OF A PATIENT WHO COMPLAINED OF STROKE SYMPTOMS, SENT HOME WITH DIAGNOSIS OF CARPEL TUNNEL

    Larry Wall & Tina Huntington represented the family of a woman who suffered medical malpractice at the hands of a Wichita Ks doctor who failed to follow the standard of care. During her initial visit the patient explained to the doctor that she was feeling dizzy, had numbness and tingling in her hands and feet, and that she had blurred vision and other symptoms. Our client asked her doctor if she was having signs of a stroke, the doctor said no. Instead of testing and treating the patient he diagnosed her with carpal tunnel syndrome, a far less serious condition. The day after her last appointment with the doctor she suffered a stroke and subsequently died as result of her injuries. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the family for $1.2.5 Million Dollars.

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