Negligent Care of Cauda Equina Syndrome

If you are suffering with permanent cauda equina syndrome due to negligence on the part of the medical professionals who should have responded more promptly to your symptoms, you may wish to consider making a claim for compensation.

Complete cauda equina syndrome

It may be that you were unfortunate enough to develop cauda equina syndrome rapidly and that your medical practitioners could not have done more to help you. It may be that your diagnosis and treatment were prompt and efficient but that decompression of your cauda equina nerves could not bring about recovery.

However, the diagnosis and treatment of cauda equina syndrome is highly time-sensitive and, if your medical practitioners did not respond in a timely manner, it is possible that your condition could actually have been avoided and you could have recovered a degree of function.

Diagnosing cauda equina syndrome

If you attended your GP or A&E unit with early symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, it might have been appropriate to carry out a range of tests to assess the possible cause of your loss of function and refer you for an emergency MRI to confirm a diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome.

If you were diagnosed with incomplete cauda equina syndrome, it is likely that emergency decompression surgery within hours would have been necessary. If there is a delay in undertaking surgery and your symptoms deteriorate during that delay, it may be that the medical practitioners concerned would be considered to have provided negligent care.

Early symptoms

Early symptoms which might prompt an emergency MRI referral could include the following:

• Lower back pain
• Pain, tingling and weakness in one or both legs
• Alteration in sensation when urinating, such as poor flow or difficulty emptying the bladder
• Loss of feeling in the saddle area between the legs and around the anus

If these symptoms were not identified by your practitioner as possibly indicative of cauda equina syndrome, you may be able to make a claim for compensation for your subsequent suffering and losses if that delay is found to have led to your poor long-term outcome.

Emergency surgery

A diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome, especially where the patient retains some urinary control, merits an emergency response.

If surgery is delayed, leaving the patient with long-term dysfunction, such as incontinence and sexual dysfunction, there may be a case for a compensation claim.

Speak to a solicitor

Contact us to discuss your experience if you are suffering with cauda equina syndrome following a delay in diagnosis or treatment.

We have supported numerous such claims and would be very happy to advise you.

Please call us free on 0800 234 3300, from a mobile click to call 01275 334030 or complete our Free Online Enquiry for a no cost, no obligation opinion.

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