Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Patients trust doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare professionals with their health and sometimes their lives.

When preventable medical errors cause serious injury, worsen an existing condition, or contribute to a patient’s death, determining exactly what happened can require an extensive review of the medical care provided.

Pisanchyn Law Firm represents patients and families in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and throughout Western Pennsylvania in medical negligence cases.

Our Pittsburgh medical malpractice lawyers investigate whether healthcare providers failed to meet accepted standards of care and whether that failure caused or contributed to a patient’s injuries.

How Do You Know If You Have a Medical Malpractice Case?

A bad medical outcome does not automatically mean malpractice occurred.

Medicine involves risks, and appropriate treatment does not always produce the desired result.

A potential medical malpractice case generally requires determining whether a healthcare provider’s care fell below the applicable standard and whether that failure caused the patient’s injury.

You may have questions about malpractice if:

• A serious condition was missed or diagnosed late.
• Important test results were overlooked.
• Your condition became significantly worse following treatment.
• You suffered an unexpected injury during surgery.
• You received the wrong medication or dosage.
• A healthcare provider failed to respond to serious complications.
• Your baby suffered a serious injury during labor or delivery.
• Another physician later questioned the treatment you received.

Medical records are often the starting point for determining what happened.

Medical Malpractice Cases We Investigate

Our attorneys investigate claims involving:

• Failure to diagnose
• Delayed diagnosis
• Cancer misdiagnosis
• Emergency room errors
• Surgical mistakes
• Anesthesia errors
• Medication errors
• Radiology mistakes
• Birth injuries
• Hospital negligence
• Failure to monitor
• Postoperative complications
• Blood transfusion errors
• Serious infections associated with negligent care
• Medical device injuries

Different types of malpractice require different medical evidence and expertise.

Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis

An incorrect diagnosis does not automatically constitute malpractice.

The question may instead be whether the patient’s symptoms, medical history, test results, imaging, or other information should reasonably have led the healthcare provider to investigate further.

A delayed diagnosis can become particularly serious when earlier treatment could have changed the patient’s outcome.

Potential cases may involve delayed diagnosis of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, infections, blood clots, internal injuries, and other serious conditions.

Surgical Errors

Every surgical procedure carries risks and complications.

A potential malpractice case may arise when an avoidable injury occurs because accepted standards were not followed before, during, or after surgery.

Issues may involve damage to surrounding organs or tissue, anesthesia errors, failure to recognize complications, inadequate postoperative monitoring, or unreasonable delays in responding when a patient’s condition deteriorates.

Hospital Negligence

Medical malpractice cases may involve more than an individual physician.

Hospitals and other healthcare organizations can become relevant when injuries involve nursing care, medication administration, monitoring, staffing, infection control, communication, or other aspects of patient care.

Determining responsibility requires examining where the breakdown occurred.

Why Medical Records Matter

Medical malpractice cases depend heavily upon medical evidence.

Relevant information may include:

• Hospital records
• Physician notes
• Nursing records
• Laboratory results
• Imaging studies
• Medication records
• Surgical reports
• Anesthesia records
• Monitoring information
• Discharge instructions
• Records from subsequent healthcare providers

Building a complete timeline can help determine when a patient’s condition changed and what actions were taken in response.

Medical Experts and Malpractice Claims

Medical malpractice frequently involves highly technical questions concerning diagnosis, treatment, and causation.

Qualified medical professionals may need to evaluate what information was available to the healthcare provider, what should reasonably have been done, whether the care fell below the applicable standard, and whether that failure caused the injury.

That is one reason these claims are substantially different from ordinary accident cases.

Who May Be Responsible?

Depending upon the circumstances, potentially responsible parties may include:

• Doctors
• Surgeons
• Nurses
• Anesthesiologists
• Radiologists
• Pharmacists
• Hospitals
• Medical practices
• Other healthcare providers

Some cases involve treatment from numerous providers, making it necessary to determine where the breakdown in care occurred.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Depending upon the injury and circumstances, a medical malpractice claim may involve:

• Additional medical expenses
• Future medical care
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• Lost income
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent disability
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Loss of quality of life
• Other legally recoverable losses

When medical negligence contributes to a patient’s death, surviving family members may have additional legal options.

Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Pisanchyn Law Firm represents patients and families throughout Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania.

Pisanchyn Law Firm
241 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-261-1212

Talk to a Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you believe a medical mistake caused a serious injury or the death of someone you love, you do not have to determine on your own whether malpractice occurred.

Pisanchyn Law Firm can review what happened, evaluate the available medical information, and determine whether further investigation may be appropriate.

Call 412-261-1212 or 1-800-444-5309 for a free consultation.

For medical malpractice matters accepted on a contingency-fee basis, there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.