Dialysis Injuries

Life can be stressful for anyone who needs to be on a regimen of dialysis. Dialysis can be essential to a patient’s wellbeing and life expectancy, which is why it is important that the procedure be carried out with the utmost care. If you or a loved one suffered an injury during a dialysis procedure or shortly afterward, you need to reach out to an experienced Baltimore dialysis injury lawyer. At Arfaa Law Group, you can trust that we will vigorously advocate for your rights as a victim of hospital malpractice and help you seek the compensation that you deserve for your harm. Working with a seasoned attorney can make a critical difference in your case.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, over 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, approximately 468,000 individuals are on dialysis, and roughly 193,000 live with a functioning kidney transplant. Dialysis refers to a treatment that involves filtering waste and water from the blood. When kidneys fail, people need dialysis to filter their blood artificially. Essentially, kidney dialysis is a procedure that is a substitute for many of the normal functions of the kidneys. It does the things that a normal kidney is supposed to do on its own.

Kidney dialysis errors can happen in a variety of ways, including:

• Contamination of machinery, causing infections in the bloodstream;
• Dialysate mistakes;
• Dialysis machine leak errors;
• Excessive blood loss or prolonged bleeding during dialysis;
• Machine malfunctions;
• Medication errors or defective dialysis drugs;
• Failures to monitor blood pressure and other vital signs.

Dialysis is an important procedure intended to help people with kidney problems, but dialysis errors or machine malfunctions can often worsen the very problems that the procedure was designed to help. If your health has been adversely affected because of a dialysis injury, you can likely retain a dialysis injury attorney in the Baltimore area to file a medical malpractice claim against the at-fault health care professional. Medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional’s actions fail to meet the accepted standard of care, resulting in harm to a patient. In other words, medical malpractice takes place when a medical professional causes an injury or death because they failed to adhere to the level of care and caution that a reasonably prudent medical professional in the same specialty would have used under the same or similar circumstances.

In some cases, dialysis machines will malfunction due to a manufacturing defect. If this was the reason for your injury, a Baltimore dialysis injury attorney may be able to sue the manufacturer through a product liability claim. Product liability is an area of the law that holds manufacturers and retailers accountable for placing a defective product into the stream of commerce. It is important to note that it is possible for a manufacturer and a hospital to both be liable under certain circumstances. This can be the case when the hospital was aware that the dialysis machine or part was defective or had an issue that could be hazardous to the patient’s health. For instance, there might have been a recall that the hospital disregarded.

Like any other personal injury claim, medical malpractice cases must be filed within a certain time frame, known as the statute of limitations. In Maryland, a lawsuit must be filed either five years from the time of the injury or three years following the date that the injury was discovered, whichever is earlier.

If you or someone close to you has suffered injuries associated with dialysis, we can help. At Arfaa Law Group, Attorney Julia Arfaa helps victims strive to hold negligent professionals accountable for the harm that they caused. She has represented many Maryland clients in cases against clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities. We understand that each case is unique, and we are committed to providing personalized representation. We represent clients throughout the state of Maryland. For more information, feel free to call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.