Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Baltimore
Equipment Malfunction Can Cause Serious Injuries in Maryland Hospitals
A malfunctioning machine can be a matter of life and death in the healthcare setting. Therefore, the assessment and maintenance of equipment is crucial to a hospital facility’s safe and effective operations. When broken equipment causes or exacerbates a patient’s medical condition, the hospital has breached its duty to provide a certain level of care, one of the elements in a medical malpractice claim. Our medical malpractice lawyers in Baltimore aggressively fight for the rights of injured victims.
LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton, P.A. was formed in 1987 by local Baltimore attorneys who believe in giving back to our community. Backed by our commitment to justice in the medical arena, we have recovered more than $100 million for our injured clients. Our law firm takes on challenging hospital negligence claims involving doctors’ errors, equipment failure, surgical mistakes, anesthesia errors and sepsis claims. We conduct a full investigation into the causes of your injuries and hold all negligent parties accountable.
A Hospital’s Duty of Care to Patients
To prevail in a medical malpractice claim, you must prove that the hospital had a duty of care that it breached and that you were injured and suffered damages as a result. These elements apply to the hospital entity and to doctors, nurses, staff and administrators. The hospital’s duties are judged by the accepted standard of care in the hospital industry, which includes:
- Creating a preparation plan for foreseeable failures, such as power outages because of a hurricane or other natural disaster
- Developing a crisis response plan for system-wide failures, such as in the event of a terrorist attack or other unexpected event
- Having reasonable backups immediately available to replace malfunctioning equipment
- Initiating guidelines for responding to malfunctioning machines and tools
- Inspecting equipment regularly and thoroughly
- Maintaining and repairing equipment
- Removing or clearly identifying broken equipment
- Updating equipment as prescribed by advances in medicine and technology
How Malfunctioning Equipment can Adversely Affect Patient Care
Malfunctioning equipment may affect several aspects of patient care, including misdiagnosis of a medical condition or delays in urgent care services. We consult with experts who advise us on the adverse consequences resulting from the malfunctioning of such crucial, complex medical equipment as:
- Anesthesia units
- Continuous veno/venous hemofiltration (CVVH)
- Defibrillators
- Dialysis machines
- Emergency aspirators
- Heart-lung machines and ECMO pumps
- Infusion pumps
- Patient monitors
- Ventilators
- Ventricular assist devices (VADs)
Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Take Action if Broken Medical Equipment Caused Your Injuries
For information about the role of broken equipment in your malpractice claim, call LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton, P.A. at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact our firm online to schedule your free initial consultation with one of our experienced medical malpractice lawyers in Baltimore. Your satisfaction is our priority.