Very often, our first source of medical care is a hospital’s emergency room; and if we are traveling, we may wind up in the emergency room of a hospital far from home.

Emergency room physicians and other healthcare personnel operate under strict sets of guidelines and directives, both of the hospital, and most importantly, pursuant to the standards of emergency and trauma care medicine accepted within the emergency medical care community. These standards must be maintained in assessing and implementing the mode and timing of emergency treatment. If contraindicated treatment is rendered, or an incorrect diagnosis made, that would constitute medical malpractice, which could result in a patient dying or suffering significant injury.

In the practice of emergency medicine, seconds may make a difference between life and death, or significant permanent injury. In an emergency room setting, or at the scene of an accident, the first hour after the trauma or medical event is known as “the golden hour”. It is widely believed that during this hour, the efficacy of treatment is greatly enhanced., this of course depending upon the level of trauma or the patient’s condition from which they suffer (e.g., stroke or heart attack). If treatment is delayed, the likelihood that it will be ineffective, or not as effective, will increase. Essentially, it is an accepted premise, that the sooner the treatment commences, the better the prognosis and outcome. Accordingly, undue delays in emergency medical treatment may constitute malpractice.

Blume Goldfaden attorneys and medical staff have the experience and expertise to determine if a patient’s emergency treatment was delayed or incorrect, and if such malpractice resulted in an injury for which damages may be recovered. Call us for an evaluation at no cost to you.