Misdiagnosed Heart Infection Leads to $10,000,000 Settlement in Atlanta
A Georgia woman in her mid-fifties endured weeks of intermittent fevers and knew something was wrong. She repeatedly sought care from a major healthcare system in Atlanta, but her persistent symptoms were dismissed without a definitive diagnosis. In reality, she was suffering from infective endocarditis – a serious heart infection – that went untreated. The delay in diagnosis proved catastrophic: the undetected infection progressed and ultimately caused a massive stroke. She was left with permanent neurological damage affecting her mobility and cognitive function. Her life was upended by a preventable medical failure, yet the hospital initially refused to accept responsibility.
When this patient and her family turned to Davis Adams for help, we knew we were not just pursuing compensation – we were seeking justice for a life forever changed. Our Atlanta infective endocarditis lawyers immediately dug into her medical records and consulted top infectious disease experts (including specialists trained at Johns Hopkins) to unravel what went wrong. It became clear that her doctors had missed critical red flags and failed to perform the basic tests that standard medical care required. Persistent fever in a patient like her should have prompted blood cultures and an echocardiogram to check for a heart infection. By neglecting these essential diagnostics, the providers violated the standard of care. Had they identified the endocarditis in time and started antibiotics, her devastating stroke likely would have been avoided.
The healthcare system’s legal defense fought hard, attempting to downplay her symptoms and deny that the delayed diagnosis caused the stroke. But our legal team remained relentless. Drawing on our firm’s exclusive focus on medical malpractice, we countered the defense with authoritative medical evidence and expert testimony. We demonstrated exactly how the misdiagnosis led directly to our client’s harm. (Sadly, this case highlights a broader patient-safety issue – research by Johns Hopkins has shown that strokes and infections like endocarditis are among the leading causes of serious harm from diagnostic errors.) Faced with our thorough preparation and unwavering advocacy, the defendants finally came to the table.
After several years of litigation, we secured a $10 million settlement for our client just before trial was set to begin. This enormous infective endocarditis misdiagnosis settlement stands as a testament to the importance of holding negligent providers accountable. More importantly, it provides the financial resources our client needs for lifelong medical care and rehabilitation. While no amount of money can restore her health, this outcome offers a measure of security and justice after a nightmare that never should have happened. It also sends a powerful message about the critical need for timely, accurate diagnosis of serious infections.
If you or a loved one have been harmed by a misdiagnosis or medical negligence, we are here to help. Contact our team for a free case evaluation – you can reach out online or by phone, and there’s never a fee unless we win your case. Let our experienced Atlanta medical malpractice attorneys answer your questions, fight for your family’s future, and help you find the justice and peace of mind you deserve.
