MON-FRI 8:30AM-5:30PM
English or Spanish
MON-FRI 8:30AM-5:30PM
English or Spanish
Strokes do not discriminate based on age. Despite commonly being viewed as an adult condition, stroke affects approximately 2 to 13 children per 100,000 annually.
When treating children, healthcare providers frequently fail to diagnose a stroke, resulting in treatment delays, with children typically waiting nearly 25 hours for a correct diagnosis, and newborns almost 88 hours. If you believe your child suffered preventable harm as a result of a missed or delayed stroke diagnosis, we can help you seek justice.
Case EvaluationSince pediatric stroke occurs infrequently, emergency physicians and pediatricians may have limited experience with the condition. Symptoms in children differ greatly from classic adult presentations. Instead of the typical numbness and slurred speech, children are more likely to experience seizures, sudden headaches, or behavioral changes.
Diagnosis is further complicated by stroke mimics. An evaluation of 59 children with suspected stroke found that 45 actually had conditions mimicking strokes rather than true cerebrovascular events, such as migraines, seizure disorders, and functional neurological disorders. When warning signs are present, it is negligent not to rule out stroke with appropriate imaging and specialist consultation.
Healthcare providers in Florida can be held accountable for failing to diagnose and treat pediatric strokes appropriately. When neurological symptoms suggest possible cerebrovascular events, doctors should consider stroke in their differential diagnosis and order appropriate diagnostic imaging. Misinterpretation of imaging results, disregard of subtle stroke signs, and consultation with pediatric neurologists when the diagnosis is uncertain may constitute medical malpractice.
Expert testimony establishes a causal link between the diagnostic delay and worsened outcomes, demonstrating how early diagnosis would have prevented or minimized brain damage. Medical providers who failed to order appropriate testing, pediatricians who ignored warning signs, radiologists who misread imaging studies, neurologists who delayed evaluation, and hospitals with inadequate stroke protocols are just some of the potential defendants.
In pediatric stroke cases, moyamoya disease presents a unique diagnostic challenge. Children and young adults with this condition suffer from progressive narrowing and occlusion of the carotid arteries, which increases their stroke risk. Its symptoms are similar to stroke, including sudden weakness, numbness, severe headaches, and vision problems, yet emergency physicians unfamiliar with the condition dismiss these symptoms or mistake them for more common pediatric conditions.
Children's developing brains have remarkable plasticity during recovery from stroke, which makes time-sensitive intervention crucial. Delay in diagnosis, however, eliminates this advantage. Approximately 60% of children who survive stroke develop persistent neurological deficits such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, and motor function problems as a result of a missed or late stroke diagnosis, which could have been limited with proper recognition.
A delay in a pediatric stroke diagnosis can affect not just the child but the entire family. It's common for parents to reduce their work hours or leave employment entirely to provide care, while relationships strain as a result of managing complex medical needs. Bills, therapy costs, specialized equipment, and lost income all add up to a huge financial burden. The families of those who suffer from preventable diagnostic delays deserve compensation when those delays result in devastating outcomes.
You may be able to recover damages under several categories if your child suffers preventable complications from a delayed stroke diagnosis in Florida:
Our law firm works with pediatric neurologists and stroke specialists to identify diagnostic failures and life care planners to project your child's future needs. The state of Florida stipulates that claims for medical malpractice must be filed within two years of discovering the injury, with some exceptions for cases involving children.
Without legal representation, avoid discussing or accepting settlement offers from hospital representatives or insurance because these initial offers tend to grossly underestimate your child's future needs. If you would like to secure compensation because your child suffered a stroke due to medical negligence, contact The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary immediately for a comprehensive evaluation and aggressive advocacy.
