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Cauda equina, which is Latin for horse’s tail, is the medical term for the area near the bottom of the spine where several nerve roots responsible for movement and sensation in the legs, as well as urinary and bowel function, are bundled together. Sometimes, certain types of spinal cord injuries can compress the nerves of the cauda equina, potentially causing pain, weakness, and incontinence in the short term and progressing into permanent paralysis if not treated properly by qualified medical professionals.
Unfortunately, not every medical professional can be trusted to provide diligent and skillful care to every patient they see, and as malpractice attorneys handling these cases know from experience, that can sometimes lead to serious medical emergencies such as cauda equina syndrome (CES) getting unnecessarily worse. If you have suffered serious harm because your doctor did not correctly diagnose or promptly treat this kind of issue, a Philadelphia cauda equina syndrome malpractice lawyer from Lowenthal & Abrams can help you explore your options for civil litigation. Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable medical malpractice attorneys.
Establishing Valid Grounds for a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Although there are similarities, the legal basis for a medical malpractice lawsuit is meaningfully distinct from that used for most other types of personal injury claims. Instead of a generic duty of care that imposes the same responsibility to act reasonably under specific circumstances on everyone, doctors are expected to meet a standard of care while treating patients. This standard is based on what another doctor with the same skills and training would do under the same working conditions.
Furthermore, Pennsylvania courts will generally not allow you to file suit against a doctor for breaching the standard of care they owed you unless you have support for your claim from at least one qualified medical expert. As a Philadelphia attorney can further explain during an initial consultation, this entails obtaining a certificate of merit and submitting it either alongside your CES malpractice complaint or very soon after filing that complaint with the court.
Are Medical Facilities Liable for the Misconduct of Individual Physicians?
Depending on the circumstances, malpractice during the diagnosis or treatment of CES can involve an individual doctor ignoring important symptoms, a technician failing to correctly perform or interpret test results, or even an entire medical team failing to communicate clearly among themselves about your care. In all those scenarios, however, it may be possible to hold not only specific healthcare professionals at fault for ensuing injuries and losses but also the medical facility that employed them.
Sometimes this is possible simply because employers can be held vicariously liable for misconduct by their employees while at work. In other cases, negligence at the institutional level—for example, substandard hiring and training practices—can make healthcare facility owners and managers directly liable for patient injuries. A qualified Philadelphia lawyer can provide crucial help with identifying every person who holds liability for your CES malpractice injuries and taking effective legal action against all of them.
Work With a CES Malpractice Attorney in Philadelphia
Any kind of trauma whatsoever to the nerves inside or around the spine can have debilitating and potentially life-changing repercussions. Given how serious this type of injury is, a doctor who fails to properly manage a condition such as CES can and should be held financially liable for the harm their professional misconduct causes their patient.
You have support from a dedicated Philadelphia cauda equina syndrome malpractice lawyer with a long history of successful cases. Call today to learn more.
