Medication errors can have serious consequences for people who receive the wrong drugs or the wrong doses in a medical setting. If you have been affected by this kind of error by a healthcare provider and believe that medical negligence is to blame, consider allowing a medical malpractice lawyer to evaluate your case.

Medication errors occur when a person is given either an incorrect medication or the wrong dosage of the right medication. Automated dispensing cabinets, which are used in many healthcare settings, have been identified as major contributors to medication errors. Mistakes in loading dispensing drawers in these cabinets can easily lead to a provider giving someone the wrong medication.

If a medication error has had disastrous consequences for you, make an appointment with Pegalis & Erickson, LLC to review your case with an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Long Island. We can help you decide how to proceed with your claim and seek damages for your injuries. Set up an appointment with an attorney by calling (516) 684-2900.

The welcoming of a newborn into the world should be a joyous occasion, but some families are affected by acts of medical malpractice during labor that can lead to serious consequences. Fetal distress is one example of a grave medical condition that doctors must quickly recognize and treat to prevent additional complications. If you feel that your child was affected by birth injuries because of a doctor’s negligence, consider speaking with a legal advocate about your family’s rights.

Fetal Distress
Fetal distress is a broad term that means the baby isn’t getting enough oxygen. Fetal distress usually develops during labor, but may also arise during the third trimester. Babies who are in distress will have a weak heartbeat and reduced movement, as evidenced by a reduced kick count.

Causes
There are many factors that can contribute to fetal distress, including anemia and high blood pressure of the mother. Fetal infections, umbilical cord compression, and placental abruption are other possible causes. Expecting mothers of multiples and those who develop gestational diabetes are at an increased risk. Fetal distress is also associated with oligohydramnios, which refers to a lower level of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby.

Treatments
Fetal distress is a serious health risk that requires prompt medical intervention. If the doctor fails to diagnose and treat fetal distress in a timely manner, the baby is at a higher risk of developing brain injuries, including brain damage that can cause cerebral palsy or mental retardation. Doctors who do detect fetal distress can treat it by administering supplemental oxygen and intravenous fluids to the mother. It’s also treatable with amnioinfusion, which involves introducing fluid directly into the amniotic cavity to free a compressed umbilical cord. If these treatments do not work, the doctor must perform an emergency C-section.

If your baby has been affected by birth injuries in the Long Island, New York area, you can find the legal solutions you’re looking for at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC. We are a team of medical negligence lawyers who have made it our life’s work to advocate on behalf of families affected by medical malpractice. You can reach us at (516) 684-2900 to request a no-charge case review.

A medical mistake can have tragic consequences, including birth injuries that can result in permanent disability. But far too often, parents are told that birth injuries or maternal injuries were inevitable; that there was simply nothing the doctors could have done. If you, your partner, or your child may have been affected by medical malpractice, you do have the right to know what happened.

The hospital staff won’t always be forthcoming with the facts, which is why families might turn to a medical negligence lawyer for help. A lawyer can request medical records and review the case, perhaps with the help of a medical consultant. A lawyer can also help families affected by medical mistakes seek compensation for their loved ones’ injuries.

At Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, we have devoted our lives to defending the legal rights of families who have been affected by medical malpractice in Long Island, New York and beyond. We firmly believe that families have the right to know what has happened when a loved one is affected by medical negligence. If you’re looking for answers about possible medical malpractice, call us today at (516) 684-2900.

The following is our formal comment to the widespread news reports about a recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and their open letter to the CDC asking that medical errors be listed and ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States. The reports highlighted the lack of tracking and reporting of vital statistics that can hinder research and has kept problems out of the public eye.

The debate over how (and how often) medical errors cause harm has been politicized for decades, with the messaging largely controlled by insurance and medical establishment interests. What is often lacking, however, is data, based on science, to define the problem. This new (Johns Hopkins) study appears to address that gap and sheds a little light on the issue. As lawyers who devote our careers to representing individuals and families whose lives have been sidetracked by medical negligence, we are well aware of the medical community’s propensity to sweep these questions under the rug. That community should stop blaming injured patients and the civil justice system for its own shortcomings, should put its house in order, and should accept accountability for injuries and death caused by negligent conduct. Pegalis & Erickson, Attorneys at Law.

Physicians aren’t the only people that may be named as defendants in a medical malpractice lawsuit. In some cases, the hospital may be held responsible for medical negligence. For example, a lawyer at a malpractice law firm may seek to prove that the hospital failed to have adequately qualified healthcare providers on staff. Or that the hospital granted privileges to physicians who were unfit which led to avoidable patient injuries.

A key question to consider is whether the healthcare provider who allegedly committed medical malpractice was an employee of the hospital. For example, birth injuries may develop after a negligent delivery performed by a non-employee obstetrician. If so, the hospital may not necessarily be held liable. There is an exception to this: If medical malpractice was committed by a doctor who appeared to be an employee of the hospital, then the hospital may still be held liable. For example, if a patient is brought to the emergency room in a state of severe distress, he or she may not be informed that the ER doctor is not an employee of the hospital.

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex cases, the malpractice lawyers at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC have the answers to your questions. Patients in Long Island, New York can discuss their medical malpractice case by calling us at (516) 684-2900.

You might think that cancer, heart disease, and similar illnesses would completely dominant the top five leading causes of death in the U.S. And indeed, far too many people die of these serious diseases each year. However, about 440,000 Americans die each year of problems that are entirely preventable, making hospital errors the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Hospital errors, or medical malpractice, can occur for many reasons, such as improperly trained staff, poor communication among staff members, and failure to adhere to established patient safety protocols.

One of the most common hospital-acquired conditions is infections. Physicians and other healthcare providers should carefully follow sterilization protocols to prevent the spread of germs from patient to patient. Unfortunately, these protocols aren’t always followed. According to the 2011 Health Grades Hospital Quality in America Study estimated 722,000 patients contracted an infection during hospital care in the U.S. The CDC recently estimated that 1 in 25 patients end up with hospital-acquired infections. Other forms of medical malpractice can include surgical errors, which may include anesthesia errors or unintended injury to nerves or blood vessels. Medication errors, birth injuries, and anesthesia errors can also cause patient death.

You can protect yourself and your loved ones by becoming informed of your legal rights. Contact Pegalis & Erickson, a malpractice law firm in Long Island, New York, at (516) 684-2900 or visit us online to learn more about medical malpractice.

When you consult a medical malpractice lawyer, he or she will evaluate your case to determine which parties should be named as defendants. In some cases, this may include the hospital or clinic at which you received treatment. Your medical malpractice lawyer will need to know if you took the medication as it was prescribed to you or if a healthcare provider administered the medication. For example, a nurse may have injected a medication into your IV line. It may have been the wrong medication or the wrong dosage, or the medication may have been contraindicated for use because of other drugs that were prescribed to you. Under these circumstances, you could file a lawsuit against the hospital and responsible medical care providers because of medication errors.

Another reason why your medical malpractice lawyer might name the hospital as a defendant is if you delivered a child at the hospital and your baby was the victim of medication errors. For example, there have been cases where the wrong dosage of medication is given causing severe injury or even death.

If you or your child suffered injuries as a result of medication errors near Long Island, New York, you can pursue justice in court. For more information, call the medical malpractice law firm of Pegalis & Erickson at (516) 684-2900.