NO RECOVERY NO FEE Free Case Review
New Orleans Delayed Stroke Treatment Lawyers – Hospital Negligence
Tough representation when Louisiana patients suffer delays or denial of treatment for strokes
Many New Orleans residents have some of the risk factors for strokes – a love of rich foods, sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical exercise, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Some New Orleans parishes have stroke rates higher than the national average. Timely stroke treatment can make all the difference. Patients who are treated within several hours of the onset of stroke symptoms can often be treated successfully with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which is used to treat ischemic stroke victims. Other timely treatments can also make a huge difference.
Hospitals, doctors, nurses, and emergency care providers need to understand the signs and symptoms of strokes in people of all ages so treatment that can often mean the difference between a normal life - and a life of chronic pain or death - can be provided. Stroke treatment that is delayed can cause cognitive impairments, mobility disorders including paralysis, and emotional harm. Delays in quality hospital care for stroke victims may be fatal.
At Garcia & Artigliere, our New Orleans delayed stroke treatment lawyers understand what safety protocols hospital stroke centers should use for any patient who might have stroke symptoms. Our attorneys work with doctors who understand the proper stroke diagnosis and treatment standards for hospitals across New Orleans and Louisiana. In one illustrative case, we obtained $2.45 million for a senior who suffered injuries after a hospital emergency department and staff misdiagnosed his stroke.
NO RECOVERY NO FEE Free Case Review
How can we help?
- What is a stroke?
- What are the signs and symptoms that a New Orleans hospital patient has had a stroke?
- When are New Orleans hospitals accountable for the delayed treatment of strokes?
- How do your stroke malpractice lawyers fight for Louisiana patients and families?
- Do you have a delayed stroke treatment attorney near me?
What is a stroke?
Fox 8 Live reported in 2021 that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “every 40 seconds someone has a stroke in the U.S. and every four minutes someone dies of stroke.”
The news station also stated, that according to the National Institute of Health, Louisiana is part of the so-called “Stroke Belt,” which means there is a high rate of strokes. The stroke mortality rate for Louisiana is 44.1 per 100,000 people. “The risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for Blacks as for Whites says the CDC.”
The news station also reported that, according to Dr. Merritt Brown who works for the LSU New Orleans’ Neurosurgery and Neurology department, the most common type of stroke, an ischemic stroke, occurs when:
A blood vessel that’s in the brain gets blocked by a blood clot and the brain is deprived of blood flow. The brain is so metabolically active that any part of it that doesn’t get a certain amount of oxygen and nutrients will start to shut down. Unless you restore that blood flow quickly, that part of the brain is going to be permanently damaged and the stroke is actually the permanent damage to those parts of the brain.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, another type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the hospital patient’s brain bursts causing blood to spill into the tissue.
One of the stroke centers in New Orleans is the Tulane Stroke Program. Tulane’s stroke providers state that stroke victims who have ischemic strokes should be administered clot-busting medication such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 4.5 hours of symptoms for the medication to be effective. Other surgical interventions to remove clots from a blood vessel can be used, but only if the treatment is provided within seven hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
What are the signs and symptoms that a New Orleans hospital patient has had a stroke?
Dr. Brown of LSU states that stroke symptoms include looking for a facial droop, one arm or one leg feeling heavy, slurring words, difficulty finding the right words, and patients who just don’t respond as they did before the symptoms started. Dr. Browns states New Orleans does have several stroke centers, and that it’s critical to get to the closest hospital possible.
The Tulane Stroke Program emphasizes using the acronym F.A.S.T. if a caretaker or a hospital thinks someone may be having a stroke. FAST is shorthand for:
- Face drooping
- Arm weakness
- Speech difficulty
- Time to call 9-1-1
Other stroke symptoms include:
- Difficulties with balance and walking
- Dizziness
- Vision problems
- Problems swallowing
- Loss of consciousness or seizures
- Intense headaches
- Sudden vomiting or nausea
When are New Orleans hospitals accountable for the delayed treatment of strokes?
Hospitals in New Orleans, whether they are certified stroke treatment centers or not, need to be able to quickly diagnose and treat stroke victims – especially since fast treatment often makes the difference between a nearly complete recovery and much more serious or even deadly consequences.
Our New Orleans delayed treatment of stroke lawyers are skilled at showing that hospitals failed their patients in the following ways:
- Not promptly recognizing that a patient was having a stroke and the treatments that should be used
- Delaying the administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)
- Refusing to administer tPA
- Not understanding how quickly tPA needs to be administered
- Not providing other stroke treatments where time was of the essence
- Failing to communicate with a stroke victim through an interpreter if necessary
- Failing to educate the hospital staff about the signs and symptoms of stroke
Hospital stroke providers need to understand when clot busters can and should be used. The hospital team should use standard stroke emergency protocols such as the National Institution of Health (NIH) Stroke Scale.
Hospitals may be directly liable for delays in stroke care due to the ways they run their stroke care operations. They may also be liable for failing to properly monitor their staff. In some cases, they may even be liable if any of their employees such as doctors, nurses, and technicians caused stroke care to be delayed.
At Garcia and Artigliere, our New Orleans attorneys are skilled at showing that there was an improper diagnosis, a missed diagnosis, surgical mistakes, a failure to prioritize stroke care, or a failure to monitor the patients during and after the treatments were provided.
How do your stroke malpractice lawyers fight for Louisiana patients and families?
The Tulane Stroke Program provides the following stroke recovery rates:
- About 10 percent of stroke victims recover almost completely
- 25 percent recover with minor impairments
- 40 percent have moderate to severe impairments requiring special care
- 10 percent require care in a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
- About 15 percent die shortly after a stroke
Victims of stroke often need psychological help, as strokes affect the brain, which controls behavior and emotions. Many stroke victims suffer anger, anxiety, confusion, irritability, and depression.
At Garcia & Artigliere, our New Orleans delayed stroke treatment lawyers work with neurologists, cardiologists, psychologists, and other medical providers who can explain why more timely and competent care should have been provided by a local hospital and the full health consequences for delaying stroke treatments.
We demand compensation for the following:
- Current and future medical costs including hospital stays, doctor visits, and long-term rehabilitative care
- The cost of living in a nursing home
- Any lost income
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of bodily function including paralysis and brain function
- Los of life’s pleasures
Our lawyers also seek wrongful death damages for the families of loved ones in Louisiana who died due to delayed stroke treatments. Wrongful death damages include funeral and burial costs, the loss of financial support, and the loss of love, companionship, and guidance your loved one would have provided.
Do you have a delayed stroke treatment attorney near me?
Garcia & Artigliere represents clients who have stroke disabilities and the families of loved ones who died due to delays in competent stroke care. We’ll guide you calmly and clearly through this very difficult time.
Talk with the Louisiana delayed stroke attorneys at Garcia & Artigliere today
Patients in hospitals in New Orleans deserve competent and timely care for strokes. The hospitals should be able to quickly diagnose a stroke and provide prompt treatment, knowing that life-saving medications are likely to help dissolve their clots. At Garcia & Artigliere, our New Orleans delayed stroke attorneys have helped thousands of clients obtain just compensation. We understand the unique challenges involved with filing medical malpractice claims.
Call or contact our seasoned New Orleans delayed stroke lawyers today to schedule a free, confidential case evaluation. We represent patients and families across America and maintain additional offices in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Phoenix, and Louisville. There are no upfront charges. We only receive compensation if your claim is successful.
Se Habla Español.