Syracuse Delayed Diagnosis & Misdiagnosis Attorneys

When a Delayed or Missed Diagnosis Changes Everything

When someone is suffering from an illness or health condition, getting a timely and accurate diagnosis is critical. Delays allow serious conditions to progress—sometimes to the point that effective treatment is no longer possible. A missed or delayed diagnosis due to negligence is inexcusable, and its consequences can be life-altering or fatal.

The medical malpractice attorneys at Cherundolo Law Firm, PLLC hold negligent doctors and hospitals accountable for diagnostic errors.

Types of Diagnostic Errors

• Delayed diagnosis — the correct diagnosis is eventually made, but too late to prevent harm
• Missed diagnosis — the condition is never diagnosed, and the patient is told nothing is wrong
• Misdiagnosis — the wrong condition is diagnosed, leading to improper treatment
• Failure to recognize complications — signs of a worsening condition are ignored
• Failure to order appropriate tests — imaging, bloodwork, or biopsies that would have revealed the condition are not ordered
• Misreading test results — lab results, imaging studies, or pathology reports are incorrectly interpreted

Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed

Some conditions are disproportionately affected by diagnostic errors, including:

• Cancer (breast, colon, lung, prostate, and others)
• Heart attack and other cardiac events
• Stroke
• Pulmonary embolism
• Sepsis and other infections
• Meningitis
• Appendicitis
• Ectopic pregnancy

Why Diagnostic Errors Happen

A delay in diagnosis often occurs because a doctor failed to follow an established standard of care. Common causes include inadequate patient history, failure to order appropriate tests, misreading imaging or lab results, failing to consult a specialist, and premature closure—where a physician settles on a diagnosis too early and stops looking for alternatives.

Consequences for Patients

A diagnostic error can cause a patient's condition to worsen significantly. They may need more aggressive treatment, longer hospitalizations, additional surgeries, or treatments that would not have been necessary with a timely diagnosis. In some cases, a delay turns a treatable condition into a terminal one. Meanwhile, medical expenses add up and the patient is often unable to work.