My mother was working as a caregiver in California. She fell at work, no one called 911, and was taken to the emergency room by my aunt. When she was checked in, she had slurred speech, ear ache, and loss of balance. The doctor ordered a CT scan, which came back normal. She was given aspirin and a tetanus shot (from her fall). She has a history of high blood pressure and cholesterol, and given this information, the doctor was still unsure whether or not it was a stroke because she was still cognitive and interactive. She was placed in a regular unit overnight. The next morning, she had trouble swallowing and began vomiting. Shortly after that, she was placed in ICU and on a breathing tube. From there, things spiraled, and doctors told us she had no chance of survival. We were told that she had an ischemic stroke in the brain stem that had progressed.
I am wondering if this can be considered a malpractice case? I have been doing some research and have found that there are preventative medications for this type of stroke if caught early enough. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Also, just to reiterate, I was informed that ischemic strokes (the most common) often do not show up on ct scans
Artman
There are thousands of conditions your aunt could have had with similar symptoms, doctors can't just start guessing and giving her drugs that could worsen her conditions if they get it wrong.
Unlike what you see on TV it's not that simple to find out what conditions is affecting a patient in the first visit. In your story I don't see anything indicating malpractice.
Orignal From: Stroke malpractice help?
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