Failure to Timely Diagnose and Treat Meningitis – Medical Malpractice

 Posted on July 07, 2008 in Medical Malpractice

A $1.25 million settlement has been reached in an Indiana medical malpractice case in which the parents of a deceased eighteen-month-old claimed that a doctor failed to timely diagnose and treat the child’s meningitis by negligently diagnosing a stomach problem. An antibiotic treatment and brain surgery failed to cure the child, and he died. The parents alleged that the doctor should have done a spinal tap and administered antibiotics earlier. A copy of the article regarding the case can be found here.

I have successfully handled a number of medical malpractice / medical negligence / medical error cases involving a failure to timely diagnosis and treat meningitis. The key to these cases is carefully looking for the signs and symptoms of meningitis (fever; headache; vomiting or nausea with headache; confusion, or difficulty concentrating – in the very young, this may appear as inability to maintain eye contact; seizures; sleepiness or difficulty waking up; stiff neck; sensitivity to light; lack of interest in drinking and eating; skin rash in some cases, such as in viral or meningococcal meningitis) both in the medical records and through speaking with family members.