Portland Aortic Dissection Attorney

An aortic dissection can be a catastrophic medical event that can happen when an aortic aneurysm is not identified and is treated with surgery or medicine. It can be prevented, for the most part, with proper diagnosis and immediate treatment. If you or a loved one has been adversely affected due to an undiagnosed or inadequately treated aortic dissection, contact a Portland aortic dissection attorney with Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC for guidance.

Portland Aortic Dissection Resources

To immediately access the resources at any point on this page, click the corresponding links below.

Why Choose Our Attorney?
What is Aortic Dissection?
Possible Symptoms of Aortic Dissection
Who is at Highest Risk?
Treatment Methods
Aortic Dissection & Medical Malpractice
Misdiagnosis of Aortic Dissection
Possible Harm Caused by a Delayed Diagnosis
Why Do You Need an Attorney?
What is the Applicable Statute of Limitations?
How Much Does an Attorney’s Services Cost?
Speak to a Lawyer Today

Why Choose Our Portland Aortic Dissection Attorney?

• Our years of combined experience helping clients who have been harmed by the negligence of others can benefit you when recovering the damages you are entitled to receive.
• We give every case our best, never trying to cut corners. Our Portland medical malpractice lawyers are excellent negotiators but are ready to go to trial on your behalf if the situation requires it.
• We are legal advocates who believe that liberty and justice really are for all. We will fight to achieve it for you.

What is Aortic Dissection?

Aortic dissections, while not seen very often, typically happen in older males. They are a severe medical issue caused by a tear in the inner layer of the aorta. The aorta is the body’s main artery.

Blood surges through the torn area and causes the inner and middle layers to dissect. This can be fatal if the blood seeps through the outside area of the aorta.

Possible Symptoms of Aortic Dissection

Aortic dissections can lead to tragedy. It is important, especially for males in their sixties or seventies, to know the symptoms. Listed below are the signs to watch for:

• Severe chest or upper back pain that begins abruptly. These could present as a tearing or ripping feeling that quickly extends to the neck or down the back.
• Severe stomach pain that also begins suddenly
• Passing out
• Shortness of breath
• Often, the symptoms of an aortic dissection are similar to those of a stroke. These might include the sudden onset of vision problems, an inability to speak properly, weakness, or even paralysis affecting one side of the body.
• Check for a weak pulse in one arm or in one thigh when compared with the other side
• Walking can become difficult
• Leg pain may accompany

Who is at the Highest Risk?

There are some risk factors that are often seen in patients who have suffered aortic dissection. These are as follows:

• Hypertension, or high blood pressure
• Atherosclerosis, known as the hardening of the arteries
• Aortic coarctation, or the narrowing of the aorta at birth
• The bicuspid aortic valve, which is a defective aortic valve
• An aortic aneurysm occurs when the artery is weak and bulging

Genetic Concerns

There are a number of particularly concerning genetic diseases that could increase your risk of suffering an aortic dissection. Among these are some of the genetic diseases listed below:

• Turner syndrome can produce hypertension and cardiac issues.
• Marfan syndrome is a weakening of the connective tissues that sustain the body’s structures. Sufferers of Marfan syndrome often have hereditary issues involving aneurysms of the aorta as well as that of other blood vessels as well as aortic dissections.
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects connective tissue and can lead to loose joints and weakened blood vessels.
• Loeys-Dietz syndrome, which manifests in twisted arteries. These twisted arteries typically appear in the neck.
• Giant cell arteritis, or inflammation of the arteries, can also increase your chances of aortic dissection

Factors That Increase Your Risk of Aortic Dissection

There are various other factors that increase your risk of suffering an aortic dissection. These are as follows:

• Being a male raises your risk substantially.
• Age plays a factor since aortic dissection is typically seen in men who are in their sixties and seventies.
• If you use cocaine, your chances of an aortic dissection increase substantially since the drug temporarily raises your blood pressure.
• Pregnancies can increase the risk for a seemingly healthy person, though this happens quite rarely.
• Extremely intensive weightlifting or other very strenuous activities could increase the danger of experiencing an aortic dissection event because of the blood pressure being increased while the event takes place.

Treatment Methods

Aortic dissection can have tragic consequences. To avoid these, the sufferer must seek treatment immediately. The condition must be treated surgically, as a rule. However, it can possibly be treated with medication if it descends into the abdomen. Such medications are often used to stabilize the patient’s condition prior to a surgical procedure.

The surgical procedure involves the removal of the portion of the aorta that has the damage and replacing it with a graft that will prevent blood from flowing into the layers of the aorta. A synthetic tube is typically used to restore proper function to the area.

If the aortic valve is damaged in the aortic dissection, it will typically be replaced at the same time. If the aortic dissection occurs in the part of the aorta coming immediately from the heart, then treatment with medication will not prove effective. They can, however, be used to prepare the patient for surgery by stabilizing the condition.

Medications used to treat aortic dissections help to manage blood pressure. If you or a loved one are being treated for aortic dissection, you can expect treatment to include beta blockers.

The Connection Between Aortic Dissection & Medical Malpractice

When medical professionals fail to diagnose aortic dissections and administer the correct treatments, their patients can suffer the consequences. Most of the time, when an aneurysm is properly identified, prompt, life-saving treatment can be administered.

Without an immediate diagnosis, the patient may not be able to get adequate treatment. This could be a case of medical malpractice. If you suspect medical malpractice, contact an attorney with Paulson Coletti to review your case.

Your doctor should run the appropriate screenings to eliminate the possibility of an aortic dissection. If a medical professional fails to do so, it is possible that you can pursue a claim of medical malpractice.

There is also a chance that the appropriate tests were conducted but were improperly interpreted. A failure to read the test correctly or not following up with the patient about the results of their treatment can all be construed as medical malpractice.

Determining if Medical Malpractice Occurred

When the situation would have been handled differently by another doctor with a similar background as the doctor handling your aortic dissection, this can be a measure of whether your doctor was performing medical malpractice in your care.

If the surgery caused more problems than it corrected by damaging your aorta, you may have received a botched treatment, which also would be considered a case of medical malpractice. Comparing how other medical professionals would have handled the case is a reasonable way to determine whether incompetence factored into your care. If you are considering a medical malpractice claim, speak to an aortic dissection attorney in Portland for guidance.

Misdiagnosis of Aortic Dissection

A good doctor is imperative in diagnosing aortic dissection. Doctors without a decent level of competency may miss it. Since symptoms can vary and can sometimes imitate those of a stroke, or other condition, a good physician will be curious about all of the symptoms and will do everything they can to get to the bottom of the situation.

The doctor will review the patient’s prior medical history and perform physical examinations, including diagnostics, such as the following:

• Electrocardiography (ECG)
• Imaging
• Lab work
• Aortic angiography
• Chest X-rays
• MRI
• CT Scan
• Echocardiogram
• Ultrasonography

Typically, because it is effective in diagnosing aortic dissection, capable doctors will begin with a CT scan. Doctors will begin here and also monitor the blood pressure closely.

The symptoms can present themselves as ripping or tearing, a stabbing, or sharp pain below the chest bone. It can travel to the back or beneath the shoulder blades. Sometimes, it can be felt in the neck or jaw. Pain may also be present in the abdomen.

An aortic dissection rupture can be painful in the arms and legs as it worsens. Patients may feel disoriented or confused. They could experience fainting, lightheadedness, dizziness, vomiting, and nausea. Profuse sweating and being less able to move or feel in particular parts of the body are also not unusual.

Another couple of symptoms to be aware of are dry mouth, shortness of breath, abnormal pulse, and difficulty breathing when lying down. Blood pressure could vary with the position, and readings might vary between the right and left appendages.

What Harm May Be Caused by a Delayed Diagnosis?

In the worst-case scenario, if a prompt diagnosis is not made, the consequences could be fatal. With each passing moment, the risk of death increases. Aortic dissections are so severe that a fifth of patients pass away before they ever arrive at the hospital.

If surgery to correct the aortic dissection does not happen within two weeks, 80% of patients will die. It will be fatal to as many as 40% of patients who do not receive surgery within 24 hours. Surgeries are successful in 80% of the people who receive the surgery.

A misdiagnosis can make the patient’s condition become even more dire. Some treatments that could be administered can make the condition worse. If hemodynamic instability occurs before surgery, the chances of a positive outcome diminish significantly. Improper care can lead to similar percentages of fatalities as if the client were not treated at all. If a mistreated aortic dissection results in fatal harm, a wrongful death attorney in Portland can fight for justice for your family.

Why Do You Need an Experienced Portland Aortic Dissection Attorney?

Determining whether an aortic dissection was due to a doctor’s negligence or not can be confusing. Many medical professionals and staff may have been involved, from doctors and surgeons to nurses, radiologists, pathologists, and forensic economists. Our legal team has established good working relationships with these types of medical experts so that we can call on their knowledge as well.

Our team has seen enough of these cases to understand the small bits that might otherwise be missed by those less experienced with this kind of medical malpractice.

Is There a Statute of Limitations for This Type of Case?

In the state of Oregon, the statute of limitations is two years from the date the injury occurred or the time that it could have been discovered. Errors could be missed and possibly take years to be noticed. If this happens, anything after five years is typically not heard.

There is a chance that if you were provided with false or misleading, fraudulent information that kept you from pursuing damages during that time frame, your timeline might be extended. You could expect two years from the date you should have discovered the issue.

While aortic dissections normally occur in men between 60 and their 70s, a special rule applies to minors. If a minor suffers an aortic dissection, the statute of limitations can be frozen until they reach 18. The statute of limitations only extends five years, or until the minor turns 18.

It is best to pursue a lawsuit sooner than later. Preserving evidence and depending on the memories of those involved can more challenging the longer you wait.

How Much Does an Attorney’s Services Cost?

If you have experienced complications due to a misdiagnosed aortic dissection in Portland, you may be concerned about the cost of seeking legal counsel. You can absolutely afford it. At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, our team of experienced medical malpractice attorneys will handle your case based on contingency fees. This means you will pay no out-of-pocket costs and that we will only be paid if we secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf. Our fees will be paid once we have recovered the compensation to which you are entitled.

Speak to Our Portland Aortic Dissection Lawyer Today

If you or someone you care about has suffered a health crisis due to an improperly diagnosed aortic dissection in Portland, it is imperative that you seek legal counsel today. At Paulson Coletti Trial Attorneys PC, we have experience handling complicated medical malpractice cases and are in business to ensure that our clients receive the compensation they are eligible to receive.

Contact us today and schedule a free consultation. We will make sure your rights are protected and that you recover the damages you are entitled to.