Posted by mbrickley | Posted in Medical Malpractice
The answer is yes - and one young girl and her family have experienced it first hand.
According to ABC News, six of every 10 babies born acquires jaundice in the first few weeks of life - so when Lexi Haas showed symptoms at just three days old, her doctor was not worried.
Now, seven years later, Lexi is having surgeries to combat a movement disorder from which she now suffers - as a result of jaundice when she was an infant.
The brain injury condition Lexi has could have been avoided with one simple test - but she never received that test, said her mother Susan.
Now, at age seven, Lexi’s mental functions are completely in tact, but for her, voluntary physical movement is an impossibility.
Her mother estimates that medical costs throughout Lexi’s life will cost upwards of $25 million. The family can hire an injury lawyer and seek damages from the hospital or doctor that might be responsible for Lexi’s condition.
I guess the big question is, is that test common standard practice when babies show signs of jaundice? If so, and the doctor didn’t conduct it, there is a serious error on the side of the doctor. If not, the lines get a little blurrier. Certainly there are all kinds of tests doctors can run all the time, but then they would be accused of jacking up bills.
Tough balancing act!