A “Routine” Procedure Shouldn’t Cost You Your Health
Most patients in Delaware County walk into a hospital or clinic expecting relief, not a new set of problems. You trust your providers to listen, test, diagnose, treat, and monitor with care. When they fall short, the result can be permanent disability, years of extra treatment, or the death of someone you love.
The Schuster Law medical malpractice page points out that thousands of Americans die each year because of avoidable medical errors, and more than a million suffer injuries tied to preventable mistakes. Many never learn that negligence played a role.
A medical malpractice lawyer in Delaware County, PA works to change that. By reviewing records, consulting independent experts, and pushing back against hospitals and insurers, your lawyer helps uncover what happened and pursues the financial recovery you need to move forward.
Medical Malpractice: More Than Just a Bad Outcome
Not every poor result points to malpractice. Even careful providers cannot guarantee a cure. But when care falls below the standard that a reasonably careful provider would meet, and that failure causes injury, Pennsylvania law may treat it as medical malpractice.
This can involve:
Ignoring obvious warning signs
Skipping basic tests or misreading results
Using the wrong procedure or technique
Giving the wrong drug, wrong dose, or wrong route
Failing to monitor a patient after surgery or during anesthesia
Doctors, nurses, hospitals, urgent care centers, rehab facilities, and nursing homes can all be responsible when their negligence causes harm.
Types of Medical Malpractice Cases Seen in Delaware County
The Schuster Law article lists a broad range of mistakes that can support a claim.
Common examples include:
Diagnosis and Testing Failures
Failures to diagnose and misdiagnosis often involve:
Missing classic signs of heart attack, stroke, or infection
Failing to order tests that most doctors would request
Misreading X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, or labs
Dismissing complaints as “stress” or “anxiety” without proper workup
These errors delay treatment and can turn controllable conditions into advanced disease.
Surgery and Anesthesia Errors
Surgical negligence can include operating on the wrong body part, performing the wrong procedure, leaving instruments inside the patient, or using poor technique that damages nearby organs or nerves. Anesthesia malpractice often centers on dosage errors, failure to monitor vital signs, or ignoring clear risk factors.
Medication Errors
Medication errors may involve incorrect prescriptions, dangerous drug combinations, missed allergies, or pharmacy mix-ups. These mistakes can cause organ failure, internal bleeding, or life-threatening reactions.
Birth and Neonatal Malpractice
Obstetric negligence can harm both mother and baby. Problems include delayed C-sections, failure to address high blood pressure or preeclampsia, ignored fetal distress, and rough use of instruments that cause nerve damage or brain injury.
Hospital, ER, and Nursing Home Negligence
System-level failures, such as understaffing, poor training, infection control problems, and missing protocols, often show up in hospitals and long term care facilities. When these failures lead to infections, falls, pressure sores, or missed emergencies, they may form the basis of a malpractice claim.
Recognizing Red Flags of Possible Malpractice
The Schuster Law page highlights several warning signs that should prompt a closer look at your care:
New, unexpected complications right after treatment
Significant worsening of your condition for no clear reason
No progress despite following treatment directions
Providers who will not answer questions or explain changes
Different doctors giving different accounts of what happened
Feeling like something was rushed, skipped, or ignored
You do not need to know exactly what went wrong to call a lawyer. You only need the sense that care was not what it should have been.
Why It Makes Sense to File a Malpractice Lawsuit
Filing a lawsuit cannot undo an injury, but it can:
Pay for additional treatment and long-term care made necessary by the mistake
Replace lost wages and compensate for reduced earning power
Cover equipment, home changes, and help you now need in daily life
Recognize and compensate physical pain, mental stress, and loss of independence
A malpractice case can also bring something less tangible but just as important: answers and accountability. It forces providers and institutions to explain their choices and can lead to safety improvements.
