When we go to the doctor or the hospital, we are doing so with the expectation that a team of professionals with years of education and training under their belts will give us the care we need to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, tragedy strikes without warning, and even though these medical professionals did their best, they could do nothing more. But what about those times when the doctor didn’t do what they could to save a life or even take the time to understand the gravity of the situation?
Too many times, doctors have taken the easy route or ignored the situation. A problem that could have been fixed ended tragically, with a family in grief or a patient having to live with a disability.
In Chicago, excessive bleeding lawyers are here to help you if you have been hurt due to malpractice or negligence. No hospital is above the law, and when it comes to protecting your rights or seeking compensation, you need to hire an attorney at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers to fight for you.
What You Need to Know About Excessive Bleeding
Excessive bleeding can happen for a variety of reasons. Most often, excessive bleeding can be the consequence of overlooking a concern during or after surgery which could result in bleeding out or secondary hemorrhaging. Excessive bleeding can cause organ damage, loss of blood-saturated oxygen to the brain, necrosis, and even death.
Causes of Excessive Bleeding
The human body is a complex system of tissues and organs that all work together. One of the most important parts is the circulatory system, which includes the heart, blood vessels, and other organs, supplying blood to different body parts to feed organs and remove waste. When that system is disrupted, the worst can happen very quickly. It is up to your doctor to ensure everything is done right to preserve this balance.
Here are some causes of excessive bleeding you need to know.
- Medications: Warfarin, blood thinners, and other medications reduce the body’s ability to stop bleeding. If your doctor has overlooked your medications before performing even the most “routine” procedures, you are at risk for excessive bleeding.
- Improperly moving the patient: You might have to be transferred when you are undergoing surgery. If particular care isn’t taken to move you safely, you are at risk for ruptured blood vessels, organ damage, and torn sutures. This is especially common with trauma surgery and moving elderly or patients susceptible to injury due to congenital disorders such as hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease, and vasculitis.
- Failure to check for hemorrhaging: As the doctor operates, they need to ensure no complications happen during the procedure. Several reasons can cause this, from nicking a blood vessel or artery during surgery to complications in operation. Not looking for the source of other bleeds and concluding the operation will lead to problems.
- Birth and delivery: Pregnancy, labor, and delivery have come a long way in recent years. Bleeding and complications are no longer the threat to the mother it once was, but a doctor who ignores the signs of complications and dismisses concerns might be more of a danger to the mother and child. Excessive bleeding can result in future reproductive problems, sterility, infection, loss of the baby, and even death.
- Secondary hemorrhages: After the surgery has been completed, other hemorrhages can happen. This is why post-surgical assessment and monitoring tell-tale signs, such as watching for bruising, changes in blood pressure, and swelling, are essential factors to recognize. Not doing so could lead to internal bleeding, infection, organ failure, and death.
- Improper suturing: Stitches, staples, and even dermal glues are used to close wounds and reconnect arteries and vessels. If done incorrectly, you run the risk of bleeding out.
- Internal organ injury: Many of the organs of our body are vulnerable to disruption of blood flow. The liver, kidneys, bowels, and nervous system rely on continuous blood flow. Excessive blood loss can cause organ failure if it is not stopped and no efforts are made to replace the lost blood.
Damages From Excessive Bleeding
The treatment, pain and suffering, and expenses of recuperating from an excessive bleeding injury will be expensive. You need a lawyer who will help recover those losses. Insurance companies are more likely to lowball you to save costs on paying out. An attorney can help negotiate with the insurance companies or take the matter to trial if a resolution cannot be reached.
Here are some of the problems you will face in the aftermath of excessive bleeding:
- Medical bills: If you have survived an episode of excessive bleeding, you might be looking at exorbitant medical expenses from efforts to save your life, organs, and even your limbs. The time spent in the hospital, as well as recovery, is likely going to incur some serious debt, which insurance may not cover.
- Physical therapy: If excessive blood loss has affected your muscles, brain, and other systems in charge of a range of motion, you might need to undergo extensive physical therapy to regain a semblance of your
- Lost and future income: This recovery will take time, likely at the expense of work. You might wind up losing your job or having to cut hours. If you become disabled, your future income will also suffer. Damages need to be awarded to recoup that loss through the courts.
- Vocational rehabilitation: If your injuries affect your ability to continue in your mode of employment, you might have to consider vocational training for another profession. That will take time and money and significantly reduce your income as you learn a new trade.
- Disability: If you become disabled due to an excessive bleeding injury, you might be forced to go on disability. Living on a fraction of your prior income indefinitely will severely impact your ability to live, much less afford to pay the medical bills that keep piling up.
- Pain and suffering: The physical and psychological aspects of an injury of this kind are difficult to quantify, but you will likely have to cope with them for years to come. Therapy, medication, anxiety, and depression resulting from an injury of this kind will affect your quality of life.
- Death: To those left behind, death from excessive bleeding can leave them destitute with stacks of bills, funeral expenses, and even the loss of their provider regarding income, caretaking, and emotional support.
Why You Need to Contact Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Hospitals and insurance companies excel in avoiding liability for wrongdoing, mainly to save the interests of their bottom line. A skilled excessive bleeding attorney at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers can work with you to fight for the compensation you deserve for injuries that were no fault of your own.
Most settlements handled by attorneys are significantly higher than the initial payoff amount offered by insurance companies. Our medical malpractice attorneys can work through negotiation, leveraging the facts and evidence to argue your case and take the matter to trial if needed to fight for your rights.
Call our Chicago excessive bleeding lawyers today at (312) 883-6907, or contact us online, for your free claim evaluation.