Delayed or Missed Diagnosis of a Stroke – The Consequences

On average someone has a stroke every 5 minutes, according to the statistics provided by the Stroke Association, and it’s the fourth highest cause of death in the UK. In England in 2021/2022, there were over 124,000 stroke hospital admissions.

We have all seen the well-known acronym F.A.S.T. which stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time. This is used to identify the most common signs of a stroke and emphasises the importance of acting quickly by calling 999.

What is a stroke?

A stroke is a medical emergency and any delay in a stroke diagnosis and/or delayed treatment could lead to much more significant neurological damage. This could cause a patient to become paralysed or lose certain functions such as speech and mobility, when this could have been lessened or avoided by a quick diagnosis and commencement of treatment.

There are three main types of strokes:

1. Ischemic stroke – which is caused by a blockage cutting off blood supply to the brain
2. Haemorrhagic stroke – which happens when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures
3. Transient ischemic attack or TIA (also known as a ‘mini-stroke’) – which is when the blood supply to the brain is blocked briefly, but not entirely cut off.

Regardless of the type of stroke, it is always important to obtain a quick diagnosis and rapid onset of treatment to reduce the possibility of long-term disabilities.

Circumstances where a clinical negligence claim may arise:

• Where you have presented at your GP or the hospital with symptoms of a stroke, but these were misdiagnosed as something else, which meant you were not treated correctly.
• Where the GP or hospital has correctly diagnosed the stroke but the treatment was delayed, or the appropriate treatment was not provided.
• Where an ambulance or paramedic has been called but they are unreasonably delayed, causing a delay in diagnosing and treating the stroke.

Farleys’ team of clinical negligence specialists can advise you whether you have a potential claim for clinical negligence as a result of a delay or misdiagnosis of a stroke.  Contact the team today on 0845 287 0939, get in touch by email, or use the online chat below.