Before just recently, if you were medically injured while on a cruise, you could not bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against the cruise line. But, just last week the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals maintained an avenue for medical malpractice lawsuits against cruise ships. Martime law previously indicated that cruise ship passengers could not expect the same level of medical care on a ship as on land. The recent l aw suit filed by the family of a man who died from a injury sustained on a cruise ship, has changed that for now, yet the cruise industry could still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If you have been personally injured, consider contacting Pegalis and Erickson for a free consultation.

With some types of medical advice, it’s best to seek out a second opinion. For instance, if your regular doctor suggests that you undergo a serious operation, it’s a good idea to get another doctor’s point of view. After all, an operation is a significant undertaking with no shortage of risk, and you wouldn’t want to follow a recommendation based on a misdiagnosis—an all-too-common form of medical malpractice.

When You Should Get a Second Opinion When you speak with your doctor, it’s important to take a proactive role in decisions that can impact our future health. For example, if your physician suggests a serious operation, you should consider getting another opinion. Operations are significant undertakings with risk. You wouldn’t want to follow recommendations based on misdiagnosis, which is sadly an all-too-common medical mistake. If your MD recommends surgery for a condition that isn’t life threatening, you should explore your range of options. Before you agree to treatment, ask more questions, share your concerns, and consider getting a second opinion.

What to Discuss With a Second Doctor
In advance of your appointment, have your medical records sent to the second doctor, or bring them with you, which can spare you from being re-tested. Go with questions. Try to bring someone with you as a second set of ears and who can also take notes. If the second doctor has a different opinion, discuss that with your main doctor, and perhaps seek input of a third medical professional. professional.

If you or someone you love has suffered complications due to an ill-advised medical procedure, call the medical malpractice law firm of Pegalis & Erickson at (516) 684-2900. We’ve been rated Best Lawyers by U.S. News and World Report and work with clients throughout Long Island involving cancer misdiagnosis, neurosurgical related injuries, hospital liability, birth injuries, infectious disease, and other forms of medical malpractice.

There is nothing more painful for a parent than an infant injured or killed during childbirth. Unfortunately, the wrongful actions of physicians and other medical professionals are too often the cause of these injuries. Here are some of the most frequent ways that medical malpractice can cause a birth injury:

Failure to Anticipate Complications
Modern diagnostics equipment like ultrasounds have made it possible for hospitals to dramatically reduce birth injuries over the past century. Nevertheless, the failure of medical professionals to use this equipment properly still leads to a great number of injuries. Potential complications that should be detected ahead of time include Cephalopelvic Disproportion and pre-natal infants that are abnormally small or large. The failure to anticipate these complications can often result in medical malpractice lawsuits.

Failure to Respond to Complications
While many complications can be anticipated, many more develop unexpectedly during childbirth. In these situations, a medical professional needs to respond quickly and decisively. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. When a physician or medical professional fails to respond to complications like bleeding, umbilical cord entrapment, and heartbeat irregularities, birth injuries can result. Another common source of injury is the failure of a physician to order a cesarean section when it is medically necessary to do so.

Misuse of Medication and Equipment
Today’s medical professionals rely on a range of equipment and medications to assist and ease childbirth. The misuse of these tools is one of the most common causes of birth injuries. The misuse of a forceps or vacuum extractor can lead to many complications, as can the improper use of Pitocin, a synthetic hormone used to induce labor.

If your infant has suffered injury or death due to the wrongful actions of medical professionals, Pegalis & Erickson can help you defend your right to fair compensation. Call us today at (516) 684-2900 and schedule a consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

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Erb’s palsy is a form of paralysis centered in the brachial plexus, a nerve stream between the neck and shoulders that powers movement through the arms and hands. Named after German neurologist Wilhelm Erb (1840-1921)—one of the first medical professionals to diagnose the condition—Erb’s palsy affects between one and two baby births per 1,000 due to medical malpractice during delivery.

The Cause of Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s palsy is caused during complicated or poorly handled childbirths. When a newborn’s head emerges from its mother’s birth canal, a brachial plexus stretch can occur if the baby’s head is pulled with excessive force by the doctor. While it may take years for the permanent effects of this stretch injury to become fully apparent, it is nonetheless a grievous form of medical malpractice resulting in the inability to have full use of the arm and hand.

Physical Treatment
If the effects of a brachial plexus stretch are readily apparent, daily range-of-motion exercises can begin within three weeks of a baby’s birth. With the help of a physical therapist, the joint-stiffening effects of Erb’s palsy can be countered with regular, supervised movements of the elbow, hand, shoulder, and wrist.

Nerve Treatment
If a child’s movements don’t improve after six months of physical therapy, there’s also the option of surgical treatment. Depending on the locality of the injured nerve, it might be possible to transfer a nerve from another muscle in the body. Performed with microsurgery, nerve treatments can help restore partial function in small infants, but aren’t known to work on older children.

If your child has a physical problem that you suspect was caused by medical malpractice in the delivery room, contact Pegalis & Erickson at (516) 684-2900. Serving clients throughout Long Island, we take on medical malpractice cases stemming from cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, birth injuries, cancer misdiagnosis, infectious disease, neurosurgical related injuries, and hospital liability.

It’s a little-known fact that 10 times as many women die of heart disease as breast cancer. One of the more common forms of medical malpractice is the misdiagnosis of women with heart disease, which is generally perceived by the medical establishment as a man’s disease. Doctors will sometimes discount the possibility of heart disease in female patients, even when the warning signs—sweating, pain from exercise, elevated cholesterol, nausea—are on display. In the video, two women who’ve survived heart attacks discuss the misdiagnoses they were given by their doctors.

If you have suffered due to medical malpractice, the law firm of Pegalis & Erickson can help. We’ve handled cases across Long Island that involve misdiagnosis, hospital liability, infectious disease, and more. To learn more about our firm, call (516) 684-2900.

If you or a loved one is in the hospital, you may think that your primary concern is the medical condition itself. In fact, your loved one could be at risk of suffering further medical injuries due to falls. Falls can cause debilitating injuries that may involve permanent complications. If your loved one has suffered a fall as an inpatient, you can explore your legal rights and options by speaking with a medical malpractice attorney.

Identifying At-Risk Populations
Some people may be at a higher risk of suffering from a fall while hospitalized. This can be due to reduced mobility, poor reaction time, and impaired eyesight that renders people particularly vulnerable to suffering a fall. Individuals who are on certain medications, such as narcotic pain relievers, are also susceptible to falling. Patients who have undergone certain surgeries, such as joint replacement surgery, have reduced mobility. These patients and any others who require an assistive device for walking are at an increased risk of falls, as are any patients with muscle weakness.

Understanding Hospital Negligence
A medical malpractice attorney can review the case to determine who might be held liable for injuries sustained in a fall during hospitalization. For example, a physician might be held liable if he or she failed to order the use of side rails on the hospital bed, despite the patient being at risk of a fall. The nursing staff may be held liable for failing to raise the rails, despite written notes indicating their use. The hospital itself may also be named as a defendant in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

If you or a loved one has suffered medical injuries as an inpatient, you do have legal recourse available to you. Contact Pegalis & Erickson, a medical malpractice law firm in Long Island, at (516) 684-2900 for more information. Our medical malpractice lawyers handle cases involving hospital liability, birth injuries, surgical errors, cancer misdiagnosis, and others.

Looking after your health is important for living a long and happy life, which is why it’s essential to take good care of yourself no matter how old you are. Women have unique medical needs, and should not ignore their gynecological health even if everything seems to be normal. Your doctor should give you a Pap test on a routine basis to check for signs of cervical cancer and any other abnormalities. A gynecologist can also screen you for ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and breast cancer, which all have the potential to be fatal. If you have sustained medical injuries or you suspect medical malpractice in relation to your gynecological health, you need a Long Island medical malpractice attorney to represent your rights. Explore this infographic to learn more about gynecological health, and to learn the truth about common myths surrounding women’s health. Please share with your friends and family.

Anesthesiologists play a key role in ensuring patient safety during a surgery or other procedure that requires anesthesia. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to make a mistake with anesthesia, which can lead to serious medical injuries. For example, an anesthesiologist might fail to properly intubate a patient, fail to properly monitor the patient, or commit a life-threatening dosage error. Medical malpractice lawyers can help victims of anesthesia mistakes obtain compensation for their losses.

Brain Damage
In the event that a patient does not receive sufficient amounts of oxygen while under anesthesia, he or she can suffer from brain damage. The extent of the brain damage depends upon the length of time that the brain was deprived of oxygen. Sometimes, it can be fatal. When patients survive this type of medical injury, they can experience significant cognitive, physical, behavioral, and perceptual deficits. Patients may have trouble processing information, speaking, and concentrating on tasks, to name only a few potential complications.

Anesthesia Awareness
Just as administering too high of a dose of anesthesia can lead to dire consequences, administering too little can lead to a complication known as anesthesia awareness. Individuals who suffer from anesthesia awareness are conscious during the surgery and they may even feel the excruciating pain from the procedure. However, because physicians administer muscle relaxants prior to surgeries, patients are unable to move, speak, or otherwise alert the surgery team. Some individuals who suffer from anesthesia awareness only have vague memories of the event afterward, while others clearly remember it. Anesthesia awareness can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The medical malpractice lawyers of Pegalis & Erickson have a long, successful track record of representing the rights of medical malpractice victims in court. If you or a family member has suffered from medical injuries as a result of anesthesia mistakes, consider scheduling a consultation at our Long Island law firm. Medical malpractice victims from across the country are invited to call us at (516) 684-2900.

Doctors are often held in such high regard that they may be considered incapable of making serious errors. Unfortunately, medical malpractice is all too common and it costs countless lives each year. You can protect yourself by becoming an active participant in your own healthcare. Bring an updated list of all of your allergies, medications, supplements, and medical conditions to each doctor’s appointment. Be sure your pharmacist maintains updated records, as well. Additionally, never hesitate to question your physician if you cannot read his or her writing on a prescription. If you can’t read the name of the medication or the dosage, there’s a possibility your pharmacist will read it incorrectly, too.

Patient safety advocates strongly advise patients to speak up when they have a question or a concern. When picking up medications from your pharmacist, make sure you understand the dosage schedule. For example, ask if taking a pill every six hours means that you should take one three times a day. Likewise, question your physician about diagnostic tests and any medical procedures you plan to have.

For more than four decades, the medical malpractice team at Pegalis & Erickson has served as powerful advocates for patients and their families. You can reach out to our medical malpractice law firm in Long Island by calling (516) 684-2900.