Intensive Care Medical Malpractice

In situations where poor outcomes occur in an intensive care setting, it’s essential to consider if they are due to negligence of the ICU staff or intensivists, and therefore might have been prevented. Medical malpractice can take many forms, from failing to diagnose an acute condition like a stroke or heart attack, pulmonary embolism, sepsis, shock, or a bleeding into an organ, to medication errors like improper drip rates, or giving the wrong antibiotics for an improperly diagnosed infection, (failing to properly identify an unconscious patient (failitng to identify acute neurological changes in a sedated patient?); to the inadequate execution of advanced cardiac life support. Providers may omit necessary diagnostic tests, or disregard their results.

Overworked nurses in an understaffed ICU may deny the patient’s basic needs such as repositioning, leading to preventable skin ulcerations. These mistakes can have tragic consequences. It is incumbent upon trial attorneys to stand with injured victims and to hold the responsible providers and–when applicable–hospitals themselves accountable.

To ensure justice is served, trial attorneys taking on such a case should connect with Nurse Practitioner consultants that are well-versed in relevant standards of care in the ICU and understand causation of extremely complex medical sequelae. Consulting with an ICU-experienced Nurse Practitioner expert is an effective way to do this as they are more highly-trained than nurses, often more detail-oriented than physicians, and more affordable in consulting services. This valuable knowledge that these experts give increases the chances for a successful outcome.

Attorneys considering representing the families of those affected by medical malpractice in the critical care unit can take advantage of a Nurse Practitioner consulting expert. Through the assistance of a qualified NP, attorneys can ensure their case is properly represented and that all evidence has been carefully weighed to accurately determine whether or not it is worth taking on. This impartial view gives them the peace of mind to make well-informed decisions when handling complex matters.