Misread X-rays and mammograms are a major indication of hospital negligence and medical malpractice. Sometimes mistakes happen. However, if the hospital and its staff don’t take the extra precautions to ensure accurate results, they are being negligent. For example, if X-rays are only glanced at once without a second look, doctors can easily miss an important aspect. Or, if X-rays are accidentally swapped with someone else’s and no precautionary measures are taken to make sure this doesn’t happen, the hospital is being negligent.
Misread X-rays can lead to increased injury because a broken bone isn’t correctly treated or a tumor isn’t diagnosed. Misread mammograms can lead to the spread of cancer and death. X-rays are misread due to mistakes, but if those mistakes aren’t corrected, the doctor, the technician and the hospital are at fault.
It’s the same with misread mammograms. Hospitals and their staff should make sure to use functioning, up-to-date equipment, double check all tests, make sure to properly label them with the patient’s name, and take extra X-rays and mammograms if there is any doubt.
- if bones are broken or fractured
- if bones are dislocated
- if bones that have been surgically treated are healing properly
- some spine injuries
- whether a person has cavities or other dental problems
- the extent of a gunshot or stab wound
- some soft tissue diseases
- lung issues such as cancer or pneumonia
- a broken bone isn’t correctly treated
- a tumor isn’t diagnosed
- a fracture goes unnoticed
- unhealthy organs and bones aren’t treated
- illnesses aren’t diagnosed
Mammograms are X-rays of the chest, and are taken of women and men, since men can get breast cancer as well. Mammograms tell doctors about:
- irregularities in breast tissue
- tumors in the breast
Mammograms are best when paired with ultrasounds and MRI scans if the doctor is concerned about mammogram reading. Misread mammograms can lead to increased injury because:
- an ultrasound or MRI is not requested as a follow-up
- cancer needs to be caught at early stages in order to be completely treated
- cancer spreads rapidly
- treatments are started because the doctor mistakenly thinks the person has cancer
If you are a victim of a misread X-ray or mammogram, you should contact a personal injury lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice.
Tags: medical malpractice, misdiagnosis, misread mammograms, misread X-rays