Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is the compression of a collection of nerve roots called the cauda equina. CES is a recognized surgical emergency and may require emergent spinal surgery. As such, delayed diagnosis and treatment of CES is a common medical-legal concern for physicians, nurses and hospitals.
According to a recent CTV News article, data from the Canadian Institute for Health information (CIHI) indicates that 184,753 people went to the emergency room (ER) for help in 2003-2004 and then left without medical attention aside from the initial nurse interview. In the two decades since, rates have risen every year, aside from a small dip in 2020-2021 when Canadians were generally avoiding hospital visits during the first part of the pandemic.
Stroke misdiagnosis is a major healthcare concern with initial misdiagnosis estimated to occur in 9% of all stroke patients in the emergency setting according to the authors of a 2018 paper entitled Diagnostic Error in Stroke-Reasons and Proposed Solutions published by Current Atherosclerosis Reports.
With approximately 2.4 million surgical procedures performed in Canada every year, there will unfortunately be some occurrences of surgical negligence. However, not all bad surgical outcomes are the result of negligent or substandard care. Surgical procedures carry certain recognized risks that may occur even with appropriate medical care. The reality is that not every patient comes out of surgery perfectly healthy.
Medication errors are preventable events that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm. The degree of harm caused to a patient can range from minimal (or non-existent) to lifelong serious disability and even death.
The only thing worse than a diagnosis of cancer is discovering your cancer diagnosis was missed and treatment was delayed. For some, this could mean the difference between life and death. This post explores some of the common causes of cancer misdiagnosis in the medico-legal context as well as the specific evidentiary requirements to prove a cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit in Ontario.
Most people going to the emergency room are genuinely concerned that they have something seriously wrong with them. After being assessed by an emergency physician, they are often relieved to learn that they are not suffering from anything life-threatening or serious.
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows in a location that cannot support the pregnancy. More than 90% of all ectopic pregnancies occur outside of the uterine cavity in a fallopian tube, but they can also implant in the abdomen, cervix, ovary, and cesarean scar.
Sepsis is organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and is life-threatening, with greater risks for people under 1 year old or in higher age groups. There were an estimated 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide in 2017, and for septic shock, in particular, the mortality rate has decreased very little in recent decades despite advances in sepsis management.
Falls are a common and devastating complication of hospital care, particularly in elderly patients.
Every year thousands of people in Toronto and across Ontario suffer serious disability and even death as a result of medical malpractice.
