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Medical malpractice is when a doctor or other medical professional injures a patient due to negligence. When you seek medical care, there is an expectation that you will be treated according to accepted standards of practice. When your care deviates from these standards and results in injury, you may be entitled to compensation for injuries suffered as a result of the medical malpractice.
Pediatric malpractice is medical negligence committed against a child patient. Like all medical negligence, pediatric malpractice can occur during various procedures and in a variety of situations. Pediatric malpractice often occurs as a result of misdiagnosis.
A new study reveals that pediatric malpractice also often occurs in connection with chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes, cancer or epilepsy. According to a new study published online by the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatric patients with chronic illnesses – which account for 44 percent of all pediatric inpatients – are more likely to experience a medical error during the course of their care than pediatric patients without a chronic condition.
According to this article, the study analyzed data from 38 U.S. states in the 2006 Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) to determine the medical error rates per 100 hospital discharges and per 1,000 inpatient days. The results of the study revealed that the medical error rate was higher per 100 hospital discharges in children with chronic illnesses, as well as per 1,000 inpatient days in children with chronic conditions.
Whereas pediatric inpatients without a chronic condition had a medical error rate of 1.3 percent, pediatric inpatients with chronic illnesses had a medical error rate 5 percent higher.
The study analyzed a variety of medical errors including abnormal complications to a specific medical procedure, adverse reactions to medications, infections, and bedsores.
Common Conditions Involving Pediatric Malpractice
There are a wide variety of conditions that are involved with pediatric malpractice, but some of the other common conditions that are involved in pediatric malpractice claims include:
- Child brain injuries, which often occur as a result of surgical errors or anesthesia errors.
- Meningitis, which is often misdiagnosed, and the failure to treat meningitis can result in serious injuries deafness, brain injuries or even death.
- Strep infections, which can lead to serious medical complications if misdiagnosed and left untreated.
- Pneumococcal infections, which can lead to serious medical complications if misdiagnosed and left untreated.
If your child has been the victim of a preventable medical mistake, you may be entitled to compensation in a medical malpractice lawsuit. In order to succeed in a pediatric malpractice claim, you must provide that your child’s pediatrician, doctor, or hospital failed to provide adequate medical care.
Contact the Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Ankin Law, LLC today to learn more about pediatric malpractice.
