Critical Care Malpractice

People suffering from serious conditions will often be admitted to the critical care unit of a hospital so that they can receive continuous monitoring and advanced care. Unfortunately, while critical care doctors often offer life-saving treatment, they are not immune from making mistakes. Critical care errors frequently cause significant harm and, in many instances, are grounds for pursuing malpractice claims. If you or your loved one sustained losses due to the negligence of a critical care doctor, you could be owed compensation, and it is in your best interest to speak to an attorney regarding whether you may be able to institute a critical care malpractice lawsuit. The accomplished Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys of Arfaa Law Group regularly represent people harmed by medical mistakes in the pursuit of damages, and if you hire us, we will work tirelessly on your behalf.

The critical care or intensive care unit of a hospital offers treatment for patients dealing with or at risk for developing life-threatening conditions. In other words, patients that require more extensive care than the general hospital units can provide will likely be admitted to the critical care unit. Among other things, critical care units offer life-support measures, such as mechanical ventilation and feeding tubes, advanced monitoring techniques, and, if necessary, resuscitation of patients. There are multiple errors that can arise in the context of critical care. For example, if a doctor fails to properly evaluate a patient’s health history or conduct a thorough examination, they may neglect to observe and address a serious health concern. Similarly, inadequate communication between a critical care doctor and other staff working on the unit, and incomplete records can lead to confusion regarding patient care, gaps in treatment, and other issues. In some instances, a critical care physician will fail to escalate care when indicated or offer appropriate treatment or medication.

Critical care errors can cause devastating and sometimes fatal harm, and people who suffer losses due to the mistakes of a critical care team have the right to pursue malpractice claims. Typically, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case will argue that the defendant doctor acted negligently. In Maryland, a plaintiff alleging negligence must show that the defendant owed them a duty.

In the context of a doctor-patient relationship, the duty owed is to abide by the standard of care, which is the treatment that a reasonable professional that works in the same practice area as the defendant would offer when faced with a similar set of facts. The plaintiff also needs to prove that the defendant’s actions or failure to act constitute a breach of the standard of care. Usually, the plaintiff will need to hire a medical expert with experience in the defendant’s field to explain the standard of care to the fact-finder and to offer an opinion as to how the defendant failed to uphold the standard.

After establishing the duty owed and a breach of that duty, the plaintiff has to show that the breach caused them to suffer actual losses. In other words, they must prove that they would not have sustained injuries if the defendant complied with the standard of care, which requires expert testimony as well. In many instances, the defendant will argue that the plaintiff’s harm was inevitable due to the underlying issues that required critical care and will offer their own expert testimony in support of their position. As such, whether the defendant is deemed liable for malpractice will likely depend on which party’s expert the judge or jury finds to be more persuasive.

Critical care doctors often have to make difficult decisions regarding patient care, but they nonetheless must perform their duties in a competent manner, and if they do not, they should be held accountable for any harm caused by their carelessness. If you sustained injuries or lost a loved one because of critical care malpractice, it is smart to confer with an attorney about your rights as soon as possible. The skilled Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group possess the knowledge and resources needed to help medical malpractice victims obtain favorable outcomes, and if you hire us, we will craft compelling arguments on your behalf. We have an office in Baltimore, where we regularly represent people in medical malpractice lawsuits. You can contact us by calling us at (410) 889-1850 or by using our online form to set up a confidential conference.