One Costly Mistake - A Look at Personal Injury and Amputation

Amputation refers to the surgical removing of a person's limb or part of a limb. This could be anything from a leg, arm, a toe or a foot. VascularWeb.org states that amputation is only performed by doctors when the limb is no longer useful to the rest of the body, if it causes great pain, or if it threatens a person's life because of infection. In some cases, amputation may be needed to get rid of a tumor or if peripheral arterial disease and atherosclerosis is diagnosed.

Obviously amputation is considered a last resort. A doctor should try and do everything possible to see if alternative treatments are available. Telling symptoms of an infection will include a fever, cold skin near the wound, extreme pain, wounds that won't heal and an odor around the wound. From that point, the doctor will test your blood pressure to ensure that blood is still reaching your limbs. Early tests for rehabilitation potential after amputation will be conducted, as will measuring for a prosthetic device.
Besides peripheral arterial disease (the most common reason why amputation is recommended for patients over the age of 50) traumatic injury can also lead to the need for amputation. Severe burns, car accidents or heavy weight can destroy blood vessel and kill tissue inside the body. If the infection is not treated, the choice is either amputation or death.
A doctor makes every effort to ensure that amputation is the last resort...at least, that is what is expected of this medical professional. Sadly, some doctors have misdiagnosed medical conditions leading to unnecessary amputations. Severing a person's leg is a physical and mental trauma in its own right. One can only imagine the emotional anguish of a patient who was coaxed into agreeing to an unnecessary amputation. A doctor can also be sued for an personal injury if he or she delays other medical treatment, leading to an amputation that could have been prevented.
The Yale-New Haven Medical Center states that when suing a doctor for personal injury and malpractice, the attorney must establish that a duty was owed (in this case the doctor owed the patient treatment), a duty was breached, (a doctor acted negligently), the breach directly or proximately caused injury, and that the injury is verifiable and the damages justified. The attorney must prove that the doctor's negligent action or inaction (such as delaying treatment) caused the injury which led to the amputation.
If you, or your family member, have suffered because of medical negligence, then by all means seek legal counsel immediately. You do not have to suffer because of the mistakes of others. A personal injury doesn't result from "bad luck." It results from an act of negligence. You may be entitled to high compensation for your suffering, even though a limb is priceless. Contact The Rasansky Law Firm today for a free consultation on your rights. Our Dallas medical malpractice lawyers have decades of experience in this area of practice and can help you and your loved ones today.