Suit filed over doctors’ failure to diagnose vascular problems

Suit filed over doctors’ failure to diagnose vascular problems

The administrator of the estate of a deceased Illinois man has initiated a lawsuit claiming that failure to diagnose vascular problems in the patient ultimately lead to his untimely death. The lawsuit, which was filed on Oct. 1 in Cook County Circuit Court, names two doctors, Vascular Specialists LLC, Advocate Health Care Network, Advocate Medical Group and Advocate Trinity Hospital as defendants.

According to the medical malpractice suit, the man visited one of the doctors on Oct. 2, 2012, for complaints of a tender and discolored toenail. The man later returned with the same complaints of his toenail on Nov. 20, 2012. During the second visit, he was diagnosed with gangrene on his toe, and the doctor reportedly suggested an amputation. The following day, the man underwent surgery to amputate his left toe at the Advocate Trinity Hospital.

Despite the surgery, in December 2012, the man was diagnosed with gas gangrene of the left foot. Prior to a second surgery to amputate the lower part of his left leg, the man consulted with a second doctor who allegedly failed to suggest an alternative procedure that would restore blood flow to his leg. After the second amputation surgery was performed on Dec. 28, 2012, the suit alleges that the man’s left leg became infected, causing him severe pain for several months until his death in June 2013. The plaintiff seeks more than $50,000 in damages due to the negligent actions of the doctors.

When a health provider fails to diagnose an illness in a timely manner or fails to provide adequate care to a patient, thus leading to the patient’s death, the doctor or medical facility where the incident occurred could be held accountable through a medical malpractice claim. A lawyer could help a family of a deceased patient collect all the relevant documents and evidence to support their claim as well as possibly consult with an additional medical expert to obtain a credible second opinion.

Source: The Cook County Record, “Widow accuses medical providers of failing to diagnose husband’s vascular problems“, Annie Cosby, October 09, 2014