The child’s injuries include spastic hemiplegia and she will require physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and specialized care for cognitive and motor impairments for the rest of her life…medicalmalpracticelawyers, $15 Million Oklahoma Medical Malpractice Verdict For Child’s Undiagnosed Bacterial Infection In ER
The plaintiff alleged that the child was five months old when she was brought to the ER in 2018 with a history of fever, vomiting, decreased urine output, and decreased activity over the course of four days. The on-call pediatric emergency department physician ordered a complete blood count that reportedly showed a significantly elevated white blood cell count and elevated neutrophils, which findings are consistent with a serious bacterial infection.
Nonetheless, the child was diagnosed with a viral illness and discharged without a blood culture or antibiotic treatment being ordered. Two days later, the child was brought back to the ER in critical condition. A lumbar puncture at that time confirmed streptococcus pneumonia infection but by then the infection had progressed, causing multiple strokes and permanent brain damage.
The plaintiffs’ experts reportedly testified during trial that the care provided in the ER during the initial visit failed to comply with the standard of care. If a blood culture had been performed at that time, the child’s bacterial infection would have been diagnosed then and with timely and proper treatment, the child would have avoided the catastrophic injuries she subsequently suffered.