Syracuse Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog

Stevens Johnson Syndrome ("SJS") is a rare disorder in which the skin and mucous membranes react adversely to a medication. According to Syracuse wrongful death lawyer Michael A. Bottar, SJS "commonly starts with flu-like symptoms. A painful red or purple rash follows, with blistering, and skin death and shedding, also known as sloughing." In some cases, as much as 100% of the skin can be lost. Other unsafe medication complications include infections and blindness.

A New York dangerous medication lawyer recently settled a product liability lawsuit against Pfizer for the sum on $3.780,000.00. The lawsuit alleged that a nine year old girl was given Dilantin, an anti-seizure medication, together with Flagyl, an anti-fungal medication. Less than one month later, the young girl developed toxic epidermal necrolysis ("TEN") and, before her death, lost almost all of her skin.

According to the New York Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawyers at Bottar Leone, PLLC, as many as 20% of patients in a recent study were diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis while taking Dilantin. While Pfizer warns patients in Canada of the increased risk of Dilantin Hypersensitivity Syndrome (which may include TEN) in certain patient populations, similar warnings are not issued in the United States.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or have been diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis, you may be entitled to compensation for disfiguring skin loss, blindness, nerve damage, permanent disability and death.

To discuss your case or concerns, contact the Syracuse adverse medication reaction lawyers at Bottar Leone, PLLC at 1-800-336-5297, or by email at info@bottarleone.com.

Syracuse medical malpractice lawyer Anthony S. Bottar, managing partner of Bottar Leone, PLLC, one of Upstate New York's oldest law firms with a practice limited to medical malpractice, wrongful death, birth injuries, work injuries, brain injuries, and product/premises liability, was elected president of the New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, an organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the civil justice system.

The New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers boasts a membership of more than 1400 judges, law clerks, law firms, lawyers, paralegals and law students, including: Syracuse medical malpractice lawyers handling cases concerning stroke misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose cancer and failure to prevent a heart attack; Syracuse work injury lawyers handling cases concerning construction site accidents, scaffolding accidents and injuries caused by a fall from a height; Syracuse birth injury lawyers handling cases concerning fetal hypoxia and ischemia, cerebral palsy and Erb's palsy; Utica brain injury lawyers handling cases concerning concussions, post-concussion symdrome and TBI; Watertown medical malpractice lawyers handling cases concerning Samaritan Medical Center negligence and Fort Drum physician mistakes; and Watertown injury lawyers handling New York State Thruway accidents.

To err is human. Doctors, nurses and hospitals are no exception. According to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 10-15% of medical diagnoses are wrong. That data, taken from patient autopsies, paints a fairly accurate picture about Syracuse medical malpractice lawsuits for mistakes made by local practitioners and at area hospitals, like Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, University Hospital and Community General Hospital. That is, most patients receive proper medical care, but nearly 2 in 10 will not.

Should I call a Syracuse medical malpractice lawyer to find out if I have a case? The short answer is yes. As your time to file a lawsuit is limited, you should call sooner, rather than later. In an effort to provide some guidance to the victims of medical malpractice, we will attempt to identify five warning signs of medical negligence:

ONE: Be concerned if, despite treatment for your illness, you do not get better (be very concerned if you in fact get worse). After settling on a diagnosis, whether or not it's the correct one, many health care professionals choose not to look further. No one wants to admit that they were wrong. Seek a second opinion, as the diagnosis you carry may be incorrect!

TWO: Be concerned if your diagnosis does not seem to match your symptoms. We all have access to the internet. Search the web to see if your symptoms are consistent with the diagnosed condition. If not, you may have been misdiagnosed. Good sources of information about your symptoms and your condition include WebMD (www.webmd.com) and YourDiagnosis (www.yourdiagnosis.com), as well as WD (www.wrongdiagnosis.com). Take this information to the doctor who diagnosed you, or to a new doctor, and ask questions. Help your doctor help you!

THREE: Be wary of a diagnosis based solely upon a single lab test. Labs can be wrong. Make sure that your doctor questions the lab results and, if a very serious condition, request that a second lab perform an analysis.

FOUR: Be concerned if your doctor attributes common complaints to an uncommon diagnosis. Often, a headache without more is, well, just a headache.

FIVE: Challenge a diagnosis that can be confirmed or ruled-out with a test that you have not received. If there is a test that will paint a complete picture for your doctor, you should receive it. If it has not been recommended, ask for it (see sign TWO, supra - do research)! The failure to diagnose a condition is often due to the decision not to order a test when the test was indicated.

While a medical malpractice lawsuit cannot fix the physical damage caused by a misdiagnosis or a failure to diagnose, but it can help to secure funds so that you and your family can attempt to live a normal life despite your losses, which may include permanent disability due to a surgical error, wrongful death due to nursing negligence, limb loss due to infection, or brain damage due to medication errors. A lawsuit may also recover future medical costs and restore economic losses, such as lost wages and benefits.

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