Doctors Fail to Diagnose Ischemic Stroke

Case Overview

This case is located in Louisiana and involves a patient who presented to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of ischemic stroke. The hospital and the defendant doctor contacted another hospital for the purpose of arranging an inter-institutional transfer to obtain a neurology consultation. The doctor at the transfer hospital agreed to accept the patient and undertook the diagnosis, care and treatment of the patient. Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient was admitted to the emergency department and examined by one of the doctors at that facility. It is alleged that the doctors failed to timely examine, diagnose and treat the patient for acute ischemic stroke, including failing to initiate appropriate emergency treatment that could have potentially produced a superior outcome for the plaintiff.

Questions to the Neurology expert and their responses

Do you have experience treating patients with signs and symptoms of acute ischemic stroke?

I do have experience in treating these types of cases. I have been involved in transferring patients after initiating t-PA to a university hospital, and also have experience as the accepting physician at a university hospital.

Do you have knowledge of the complication that can occur if a stroke is not treated correctly?

Delaying stroke treatment can have serious complications and increases morbidity and mortality.

Can earlier intervention prevent complications?

Earlier intervention can prevent complications for the right patients. It is vital that proper protocols are adhered to throughout any transfer procedure, and that the physicians and institutions involved ensure that they are clearly communicating with one another before, during, and after the transfer to ensure that patients are given the proper care.

About the expert

This top physician has had extensive training in neurology and stroke care, as he was the Medical Director of the Primary Stroke Center at Montgomery Hospital, and is currently an assistant professor of neurology at a major medical institution. He has done extensive research in several areas of neurology, and has produced several abstracts in the field as well.