An accurate and timely diagnosis is the foundation of effective healthcare. When a doctor fails to recognize the “red flags” of a serious condition, the window for life-saving treatment can slam shut. Diagnostic errors are among the most common forms of medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, ranging from the misdiagnosis of a stroke in a young adult to the delayed diagnosis of aggressive cancers like melanoma or colon cancer. In this category, we examine how “cognitive biases” and systemic hospital failures lead to these mistakes. Whether it is a radiologist misreading a scan or a primary care physician ignoring a patient’s persistent symptoms, the consequences of a delay are often fatal. These articles provide specific guides on the standard of care for various conditions and what legal steps to take if a late diagnosis has impacted your prognosis.
HELLP Syndrome is a rapidly progressing, life-threatening pregnancy complication that damages blood cells and the liver. When doctors dismiss symptoms like abdominal pain and severe headaches as “normal pregnancy complaints,” the window for life-saving delivery can close. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania families harmed by obstetric negligence and delayed HELLP diagnosis. Learn how our attorneys fight for the justice you deserve.
Green vomit in a newborn is a surgical emergency that demands immediate imaging. When doctors dismiss bilious vomiting as “normal spit-up” or reflux, they may miss a life-threatening twisted bowel known as midgut volvulus. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania families whose children suffered from preventable short gut syndrome and catastrophic disability. Learn how our attorneys fight for the compensation your child deserves.
Sarcoma is a rare and aggressive cancer that is frequently misdiagnosed as a benign cyst or injury. Because early detection is critical—with survival rates dropping from 83% to 16% once it spreads—even a few months of delay can be catastrophic. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania patients harmed by a delayed sarcoma diagnosis. Discover how our attorneys fight for the compensation and answers you deserve.
Brain cancer symptoms like headaches and seizures are often dismissed as stress or anxiety, allowing life-threatening tumors to grow unchecked. When doctors fail to order an MRI or ignore red flags, the delay can move a patient from a treatable diagnosis to a terminal one. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania families harmed by brain cancer misdiagnosis. Discover how our attorneys fight for the justice and answers you deserve.
A cervical meningioma is a spinal tumor that, when missed on imaging, can lead to devastating results like unnecessary surgery and permanent neurological harm. Often, these errors occur when a radiologist fails to report a tumor visible outside the primary area of interest. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania patients harmed by diagnostic failures. Learn how our attorneys fight for the compensation and answers you deserve.
Delayed diagnosis of colorectal cancer is not always an unavoidable tragedy. In many cases it is the direct result of a physician’s failure to screen appropriately, to recognize the warning signs, to follow up an abnormal test result, or to refer a patient for specialist evaluation. At Lupetin & Unatin, we investigate these cases, and we know how to determine whether your right to reasonable medical care was violated.
If a lung nodule was found on a CT scan and was never followed up — and you were later diagnosed with advanced lung cancer — you may have a medical malpractice claim in Pennsylvania. The Fleischner Society Guidelines require specific follow-up timelines based on nodule size and patient risk. When physicians, radiologists, or hospital systems fail to act on those guidelines, the legal standard of care has been breached. The difference between Stage I and late-stage diagnosis can be the difference between a cure and a death sentence.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers in medicine. The tools to detect it early – Pap smears and HPV testing – have existed for decades. The human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes more than 90% of all cervical cancers is identifiable in patients long before cancer develops, giving physicians a critical window to intervene.
Radiology is the branch of medicine most dependent on disciplined, systematic observation. A radiologist reviewing a chest CT does not just look for what the ordering physician suspects. The standard of care requires a thorough, methodical review of everything visible in the image — because the most important finding is often not the one anyone expected.
An echocardiogram is one of the most important diagnostic tools in cardiovascular medicine. Using ultrasound to create real-time images of the beating heart, it can detect heart valve disease, heart failure, blood clots, congenital abnormalities, and conditions that — if identified and treated promptly — are survivable. If missed, they can be fatal.
An incidental finding is an unexpected abnormality discovered during a medical imaging study that was ordered for a different reason. The term “incidentaloma” is commonly used when the finding is a mass or lesion — a nodule on the lung found during a chest X-ray for a broken rib, a lesion on the liver spotted during an abdominal CT for appendicitis, a thyroid nodule noticed on an ultrasound of the neck.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer, but screening failures can turn a treatable condition into a life-threatening crisis. When Pap smears are misread or HPV results are ignored, the delay in diagnosis is often devastating. Lupetin & Unatin, LLC represents Pennsylvania patients harmed by cervical cancer screening errors. Discover how our attorneys fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.
