Failure to Obtain a Blood Type

It is standard practice for doctors to gather certain information from patients before performing procedures. For example, they will often obtain a patient’s blood type prior to surgery in case they need to undergo a transfusion. Unfortunately, oversights and carelessness can lead to obvious mistakes, like a physician’s failure to obtain a blood type, and such errors can cause significant injuries. If you sustained injuries because your doctor neglected to employ basic measures to protect your health, you have the right to seek damages, and you should speak to an attorney as soon as possible. The seasoned Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group devote their practice to assisting people harmed by medical negligence protect their interests, and if we represent you, we will work diligently to help you pursue the results you deserve.

Usually, if a patient presents to a hospital or medical facility for certain procedures, the doctor or nurse providing their care will obtain their blood type. For example, it is common for health care providers to obtain a patient’s blood type before they undergo surgery, in case they need blood or if they are undergoing an organ transplant or transfusion. Obtaining a blood sample to accurately determine a party’s blood type is a relatively quick and straightforward procedure. Nonetheless, doctors and nurses may fail to thoroughly perform their duties and neglect to obtain a patient’s blood type. While in some instances, such an oversight is harmless, in others, it can cause devastating losses. For example, if a patient is administered the incorrect blood type or receives an organ from a donor with a blood type that differs from theirs, it can cause critical complications, including death.

The failure to obtain a patient’s blood type generally constitutes medical malpractice. As such, people harmed by such failures will often pursue claims against the health care providers responsible for the error. As the failure to obtain a blood type is usually inadvertent, rather than intentional, in most cases arising out of such mistakes, the plaintiff will assert a negligence claim against the defendant.

In Maryland, to demonstrate negligence in the framework of medical care, the plaintiff must first show that the defendant owed them a duty. Generally, the duty owed is to abide by the standard of care, which is the care that a competent professional working in the same practice area as the defendant would offer in a similar situation. The plaintiff then needs to produce evidence showing that the defendant breached the standard of care. In the majority of medical malpractice cases, the plaintiff will need to retain a medical expert to offer testimony regarding the standard of care that applies to the defendant, what is required under the standard, and the manner in which it was breached by the defendant. Lastly, the plaintiff needs to link the defendant’s breach to the damages suffered. In other words, they must show that they sustained quantifiable losses that are directly attributable to the defendant’s behavior, which generally requires expert testimony as well.

If a plaintiff establishes a defendant’s liability, they may be awarded damages for the cost of any medical care they needed due to the defendant’s negligence or will need in the future, lost wages, and loss of earnings if they could not work because of their harm, and out-of-pocket expenses. They may also be granted compensation for their pain, suffering, and mental and emotional anguish.

A doctor’s failure to obtain a blood type prior to performing a procedure on a patient generally constitutes negligence and, in some cases, causes catastrophic injuries. If you suffered losses because of a doctor’s careless oversights, you should meet with an attorney to discuss your potential claims. The assertive Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group have extensive experience helping people harmed by medical malpractice in the pursuit of justice, and if you engage our services, we will advocate zealously on your behalf. We regularly represent plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases in Baltimore, where our office is located. You can contact us through our form online or by calling (410) 889-1850 to set up a confidential and free meeting.