My Child’s Meningitis Was Misdiagnosed: Was It Medical Malpractice?

Meningitis is inflammation that affects the brain and spinal cord. The source of the inflammation can be a virus, bacteria or other microorganism. Meningitis is a true medical emergency and can have devastating consequences, particularly in young children. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics and/or steroidal medications, a child with meningitis can become extremely ill very quickly, resulting in catastrophic injuries. These injuries can include brain injuries and cerebral palsy.

If your child has sustained injuries from meningitis, you may have questions about whether his or her injuries could have been prevented with earlier or better medical treatment.

Because meningitis can progress very quickly, it’s important for parents to be vigilant about noticing some of the early signs and symptoms of the disease, including:

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Neck stiffness
• Sluggishness, lethargy or sleepiness
• Irritability
• Excessive crying
• Lack of appetite or poor feeding in newborns

Many of these early symptoms are nonspecific, difficult to detect and can be seen in children who are sick but don’t have meningitis. But if allowed to progress, children with meningitis can develop much more significant hallmark symptoms, including:

• Seizures
• Decreased level of consciousness
• Confusion
• Severe headache

Bringing your child to a see a doctor early in the course of the illness can make all the difference.

But what happens if you bring your child in for medical attention and they are misdiagnosed and sent home?

Thankfully, this is not a common occurrence, but when it happens, the consequences can be devastating and sometimes tragic.

What can you do if you suspect your child sustained injuries as a result of delayed medical treatment for meningitis?

In these situations, probably the last thing on your mind is whether your child’s injuries from meningitis were the result of medical malpractice. Your only concern will be to make sure that you obtain the best possible care for your child to ensure your child has a good recovery. But as time goes on you may begin to suspect that your child’s care was mishandled at the hospital or doctor’s office. You may have questions about what could have been done differently and if it would have made a difference to the outcome.

Unfortunately, the medical system doesn’t always provide answers to those tough questions. Doctors, nurses and hospital administrators often close ranks in these situations because they’re afraid of exposing themselves or their colleagues to blame and responsibility when a child’s care has been mishandled.

If you have questions like this, you and your family may wish to consider getting answers from an experienced medical malpractice lawyer – someone with the expertise to review your child’s medical records and consult with qualified medical experts to get you the answers you deserve.

Consulting with Thomson Rogers’ Medical Malpractice Lawyers

For more than 85 years, the medical malpractice lawyers at Thomson Rogers (also known as TR Law) have been providing answers to parents of children who have sustained devastating injuries as a result of medical negligence. We have prosecuted countless complex, serious medical malpractice cases, including pediatric meningitis cases. We have fought for and secured significant monetary settlements and trial victories in some of the most challenging medical malpractice cases across Canada.

Our team of experienced medical malpractice lawyers will take the time to meet with you to discuss your concerns and answer your questions. Our lawyers’ consultations are free of charge and come with no obligation.

Investigating your meningitis medical malpractice case

If you retain us to investigate the medical care that your child received, we’ll work tirelessly and consult with qualified medical experts to get you the answers to the most important questions in your case, including:

• Was my child misdiagnosed?
• Should my child have undergone investigations and tests to diagnose meningitis, including blood tests, spinal tap, MRI or CT scans?
• Was it negligent to send my child home from the doctor’s office or hospital?
• Were we given appropriate instructions by the doctors or nurses about when to bring our child back for medical care?
• Did my child receive appropriate and timely medical treatment, including antibiotics?
• Could my child’s injuries have been prevented?

In most cases of meningitis in children, we will not charge you a fee to investigate your case. We will only get paid if we are able to achieve an out-of-court settlement or trial verdict in your favour and that fee will be paid out of the proceeds of the settlement or trial judgment.

Prosecuting your child’s medical malpractice claim

If our investigation demonstrates that you and your child have a viable medical malpractice case, we will litigate the case on behalf of your child and your family. We will not stop until we settle your case or prevail at trial. Thomson Rogers has a proven record of success in negotiating significant monetary settlements in cases of pediatric meningitis. Our medical malpractice lawyers are well known in the industry because of the results we have obtained for our clients over many decades of legal practice.

If you and your family have questions about your child’s meningitis-related injuries, the team of medical malpractice lawyers at Thomson Rogers can help you get the answers you deserve.

For a free consultation, please directly contact the head of our medical malpractice group, Aleks Mladenovic by phone or email at 416-868-3204, [email protected] or Kate Cahill at 416-868-3120, [email protected].