Cauda Equina Syndrome Negligence

If your cauda equina syndrome has been negligently treated by medical practitioners, it is very possible that you will be eligible to claim compensation. To find out more about suing a GP or hospital for cauda equina syndrome, please get in touch with us today.

Typical case of cauda equina syndrome negligence

Typically, a negligently managed case of cauda equina syndrome will run along the following lines:

The patient will begin to experience chronic back pain that gets worse and worse. This will prompt the patient to seek assistance from their GP or A&E, but are sent home with a diagnosis of generalised back pain or sciatica.

There may then be an escalation of symptoms, leading the patient to seek medical help once again. Sometimes there are repeat visits to the GP or hospital, but doctors continue to fail to make a diagnosis.

At some point arrangements will be made for an MRI scan to be performed, but this is often subject to delays and not carried out as an emergency (as it should be). Once an MRI scan is done the images are reviewed, although again, this can be subject to delays.

The images will show a cauda equina compression, and should also reveal the underlying cause. When a patient is confirmed to have cauda equina syndrome there should be an assessment as to whether or not surgery is an emergency.

If the patient’s condition is still incomplete – meaning there is not total bladder retention – there should be no hesitation in taking a patient straight to theatre. However, doctors can disregard this urgency, instead waiting until the following day (or days) to operate.

All of these delays in treatment can have a terrible impact upon the patient. The cauda equina nerves which are being compressed are extremely delicate. The longer compression lasts, the worse the injury will be.

Therefore the longer the delay, the harder it will become for the patient to make a full recovery. If the surgery is deferred for too long, the nerves will be damaged beyond repair and the patient will be left with permanent neurological complications.

Has this happened to you?

If this sounds like a familiar experience, you must talk to a solicitor about the care you received. If substandard medical care caused you to suffer injuries that could have been avoided, you will be able to take legal action against those at fault. To talk to a solicitor, please contact us today.

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