Was Tissue Damage, Amputation or Fatality the Result of Failure to Diagnose Compartment Syndrome?
Did a doctor fail to diagnose and treat compartment syndrome, resulting in muscle and nerve damage? You may have reported that you were ill, telling the doctor that you felt weak and numb. Your skin may have been pale, and you also had severe pain along with the numbness. In fact, you were suffering from compartment syndrome, resulting from swelling and blocked blood flow to “compartments,” or spaces in arms and legs. This may have come about as a result of a broken bone or repeated stress to your body, such as that experienced by runners. Prompt surgery in the case of a diagnosis of compartment syndrome is the usual treatment which relieves pressure in the nick of time. The wound is left open for 2 to 3 days and then re-closed with a skin graft. But perhaps your doctor did not investigate thoroughly enough as to the cause of your pain, weakness and numbness. You could have recovered most of your normal functions with timely diagnosis and treatment. However, misdiagnosis or failure to
