Diabetic Ketoacidosis Misdiagnosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis Misdiagnosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious condition that can prove to be life-threatening if left untreated. Equally as dangerous is the prospect of diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis which can have fatal results.
If you find yourself in a situation where this condition has been misdiagnosed, it’s important to have an experienced diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney on your side. At Davis Adams, we bring an extensive record of success into every new case we take on and employ a team of knowledgeable diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis lawyers who are passionate about the people and legal system they serve.
Our team of professional legal and medical experts work hard for the patients we represent in Atlanta and the greater Georgia area. We understand just how high the stakes can be. When you’re faced with a case of diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis, our diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis lawyers are here to help.
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Mr. Davis is an accomplished misdiagnosis attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. He has received virtually every award and honor available to Georgia trial attorneys. He is one of the foremost experts on medical malpractice law in Georgia. Published on March 16, 2017, last updated on June 21, 2019.
Negligence Related to the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Diabetes
Patients experiencing medical difficulties turn to their physicians with confidence, trusting them to figure out what’s causing problems, and what needs to be done. While trust in the proficiency of medical professionals is well-placed, the results don’t always meet the required standard.
This is particularly true when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and managing diabetes in patients. Often type 1 diabetes is misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes which is nearly 20 times more prevalent in adults.
Unfortunately, this is a disease that doesn’t allow for a large margin of error before becoming dangerous. A recent survey found that 25% of participants with diabetes were misdiagnosed. This misdiagnosis was associated with an 18% increased risk for diabetic ketoacidosis compared to those who were correctly diagnosed.
As diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis lawyers in Atlanta, the team at Davis Adams is well-versed in what it takes to get patients the results they deserve in such challenging times. There’s no reason to face legal complications alone.
We’re here to make sure you have the diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis lawyers in place you need and deserve. When you’re looking for a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney with the exceptional record to match, Davis Adams is the place to start.
Understanding Diabetic Ketoacidosis
The human body is designed by nature to produce its insulin. This important hormone helps get blood sugar, known as blood glucose, into cells where it’s converted to energy.
individuals diagnosed with diabetes have blood glucose levels that don’t self-regulate. Diabetes is categorized at two varying levels known as types.
Patients with type 1 diabetes cannot create insulin. Those with type 2 diabetes, the more common diagnosis, create insufficient amounts of insulin or can’t manage the insulin available.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication that is linked to type 1 diabetes. This condition occurs when low insulin levels make it impossible for the body to use sugar as a fuel source.
Pediatric Diabetic Ketoacidosis Misdiagnosis in the Emergency Room
A mother takes her child to the emergency room following hours of vomiting. The child is thirsty, urinating excessively, and has been lethargic. Her abdomen hurts too. Something’s just not right. The child’s mother isn’t sure what’s going on, but she’s confident that the ER physician and nurses will correctly diagnose her child and provide good care. That doesn’t happen. Instead, the child’s symptoms are dismissed as being nothing serious. She’s discharged, goes home to rest on her bed, and dies of undiagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis.
This horrific fact pattern is one we’ve seen too often. We’ve sat at kitchen tables with grieving parents as this story has been told time and time again. First, as parents, our diabetic ketoacidosis attorneys acknowledge that we can’t begin to grasp the pain of losing a child. We realize that. But we can demand accountability and hold the negligent medical providers responsible.
We would love to never receive another phone call letting us know that a child has died because an ER physician or nurse simply didn’t take the time to order inexpensive and basic lab tests to rule out a diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis. Unfortunately, we know there will be more such calls, and more devastated families who need our assistance. And we consider it an honor to stand with them in their time of need.
How a Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Leads to Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes share some similarities. However, those suffering from either of these conditions will attest to the fact that the phenotypes and treatments are vastly different.
Individuals with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily because their bodies cannot produce the hormone. Without insulin, glucose levels quickly fluctuate to dangerous levels.
Those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes enjoy access to other treatment solutions. Some of these options may be focused on diet and exercise exclusively or include non-insulin specific medications.
The different treatment solutions for type 1 and 2 diabetes make a misdiagnosis of type 1 diabetes for type 2 extremely dangerous. Type 1 diabetics who are not treated with insulin can experience prolonged hyperglycemia. Over time, this can lead to the development of Diabetic Ketoacidosis as blood acid levels soar.
Side Effects for Type 1 Diabetics Who Aren’t Properly Treated
The dangers in misdiagnosing the type of diabetes a patient is suffering from comes with a long list of side effects and undesirable outcomes. Type 1 diabetics who are not properly treated may experience retinopathy, which can lead to severe eyesight damage over time. The only prevention when it comes to retinopathy is close regulation of an individual’s cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and blood pressure.
Kidney damage is another concern for type 1 diabetics not receiving the proper insulin-based treatments. With time, untreated kidney damage has the potential to lead to more serious medical complications such as heart disease, stroke, or complete kidney failure.
Overall, those patients that require insulin to treat type 1 diabetes and aren’t receiving it are at risk for developing nerve damage and poor blood circulation throughout the body. Without the help of insulin, arteries can harden, and often the feet are the first of the extremities not to receive a sufficient blood supply. In the most severe of cases, this results in the amputation of a limb.
Tests Doctors Should Perform to Avoid a Diabetic Ketoacidosis Misdiagnosis
Whenever a diagnosis of diabetes is suspected, there are several tests that physicians and other medical professionals can turn to for proper diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis. The testing process ideally begins with the A1C test, more formally referred to as the glycated hemoglobin test. The A1C test evaluates a patient’s blood sugar levels that have occurred over the past several months.
The importance of the A1C test lies in the test’s ability to measure the percentage of blood sugar attached to red blood cells. Those individuals who receive results showing 6.5% or higher on two separate tests can confidently be diagnosed with diabetes.
While the A1C test is highly accurate, it’s not an option for those who are pregnant or suffering from other hemoglobin issues. When this is the case, options such as a random blood sugar test or a fasting blood sugar test are equally adequate.
The random blood sugar test can be done at any time of the day and is often administered on several different occasions to confirm results. Those that test for blood sugar levels of 200 mg/dl and above using this test are often diagnosed with diabetes. Test results may line up with other symptoms of diabetes presenting in a patient that include high levels of thirst or urinating more often than normal.
The fasting blood sugar test requires an individual to refrain from eating overnight before a blood sample is evaluated. Fasting blood sugar tests that come back with results showing levels less than 100 mg/dl are considered normal. Results between 100 to 125 mg/dl are considered pre-diabetes while levels reaching 126 mg/dl and above on two tests equate to a diabetes diagnosis.
When these tests still make it unclear whether a patient has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, further blood tests should be run for autoantibodies that are particular to a type 1 diagnosis. A physician should always be looking for ketones that are specific to type 1 diabetes and the excess of which can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis.
If these tests were not comprehensively or successfully carried out, and the result was a misdiagnosis, patients often have grounds to pursue legal action. When you’re looking for a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney in Atlanta, it’s important to partner with the best at Davis Adams.
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Having an Experienced Diabetic Ketoacidosis Misdiagnosis Lawyer Matters

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Our key advantage in medical malpractice cases is our experience. Unlike other firms who only advertise it on their website, we’ve focused our practice 100% on these cases. Let’s discuss your case and see how we can help.
We are immersed in medical negligence and malpractice lawsuits each day: from orthopedic malpractice to surgical errors, malpractice is all we do. This means we are uniquely able to promptly detect trends in medication side effects as new medicines come out, to combat the latest insurance legal defense strategies, and to review our customers’ cases with leading clinical professionals around the nation.
When it comes to dealing with a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis case, having an experienced diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney makes all the difference. The stakes are too high to waste time, effort, or resources. To that end, the team at Davis Adams has the expertise to turn a complex case into a straightforward one.
Clients that come to us for help will find a dedicated legal and medical team at their disposal that knows the ins and outs of these complex cases. We know that a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis is complicated, but it’s also highly personal.
At Davis Adams, our team of diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis lawyers in Atlanta is well-versed in evaluating medical records and deciphering them to lay out a clear path to justice. Winning a case on behalf of our clients isn’t just about knowing what to say in a court of law but knowing what questions to ask before it’s ever time to step in front of a judge. We’re fluent when consulting with leading experts and can translate that information into terminology clients feel comfortable with as well.
Finding the right diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney in Atlanta or throughout Georgia shouldn’t be a shot in the dark. The experts at Davis Adamas have the experience, compassion, knowledgeable and strong record of success patients deserve to have on their side.
Davis Adams is Here to Represent You
At Davis Adams, we take diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis cases seriously. Over the years, we’ve won our clients tens of millions of dollars in much-deserved reparations. We find that these results offer up a sense of justice to replace the initial sense of neglect that many patients experience with a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis.
Whether justice is served through settlement or by a jury’s verdict, our team is dedicated to working through the process to provide our clients with the compensation and closure they deserve.
We know there’s always more out there to be learned, so we’re constantly looking at new trends among medical misdiagnosis cases that could benefit our clients. We also take time to regularly review new information available with leading endocrinologists and other highly regarded medical experts/
When you’re looking for a diabetic ketoacidosis misdiagnosis attorney in Atlanta, look no further than Davis Adams. We bring the knowledge and expertise to fight for you every step of the way.
