Failure to monitor thiamine levels
A 50-year-old woman consulted with a bariatric surgeon for weight reduction surgery. The patient was 5’ 4” and weighed 265 pounds.
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Failure to diagnose cornual pregnancy
A 33-year-old woman came to the emergency department (ED) complaining of bilateral abdominal pain, back pain, and shortness of breath.
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Failure to diagnose retained sponge
A 55-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in New Mexico for a colostomy reversal.
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Failure to diagnose tuberculosis
A two-year-old boy with a five-day history of intermittent fever and stomachache was brought to his pediatrician. The child was diagnosed with a viral syndrome and treated with simethicone drops
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Delay in detecting melanoma
A 58-year-old man came to his family physician for evaluation of a lesion on his back. The man was a long-time patient of this physician.
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Failure to follow up on mammogram
A 54-year-old woman returned to her primary care physician, Family Physician A. The patient reported pain in her left arm, chest, and back that had continued for a week.
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Failure to diagnose rhabdomyolysis
At 3:20 p.m., a 3-year-old girl was brought to the emergency department (ED) with complaints of fever, lethargy, sore throat, severe leg pain bilaterally with decreased sensation, and absent reflexes.
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Failure to diagnose appendicitis
A 6-year-old boy, accompanied by his mother, came to Pediatrician A for a sick visit on October 21. The child had a five-day history of fussiness, sore throat, coughing, vomiting, stomach pain.
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Failure to diagnose pneumonia
A five-year-old girl was brought by her parents to a clinic and seen by a pediatrician as a new patient. The patient came with a one-day history of fever recorded as 104.5 degrees.
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Misdiagnosis of pancreatic cancer
The patient, a 36-year-old woman, had a 10-year history of a pancreatic cyst. She had two fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies in the previous year.
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Negligent identification of biopsy tissue
After two years of finasteride therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia, a 55-year-old man was referred to a urologist’s office.
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Failure to correctly read biopsy specimen
A 50-year-old woman had a digital screening mammogram. When compared to a mammogram taken five years earlier, the new mammogram revealed possible new calcifications.
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Failure to diagnose femur fracture
A 28-year-old man was involved in a motorcycle collision, sustaining multiple injuries. The man hit the side of a trailer and was thrown off his motorcycle.
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Failure to evaluate patient
A 72-year-old man was evaluated by Ophthalmologist A on several occasions. The patient had cataracts, with best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left eye.
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Failure to respond to shoulder dystocia
A 24-year-old pregnant woman began prenatal care with her OB-GYN physician at approximately 24 weeks into her pregnancy. This was the patient’s second pregnancy; her first pregnancy was aborted.
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Failure to diagnose and treat dissection of the carotid artery
A 35-year-old woman delivered her third child and was discharged from the hospital two days later. Her pregnancy had been complicated by preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.
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