Personal Injury Law

Missed or delayed diagnosis of acute appendicities common medical mistake

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

The failure to diagnose acute appendicitis is one of the most common medical mistakes leading to medical malpractice lawsuits. As many as 30% of patients with acute appendicitis were initially misdiagnosed by a physician at a pervious medical examination. The most common diagnosis in missed appendicitis cases is Agastroenteritis. Delayed or missed diagnosis of acute appendicitis can have serious consequences including death, recurrent small bowel obstruction, impaired fertility in women, and extended hospital stays. Acute appendicitis should be considered a possible diagnosis with all complaints of abdominal pain. For the full article, click here.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).