Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims & Compensation

Cauda Equina Syndrome Claim Solicitors

Cauda Equina Syndrome diagnosis is hard news to take in on its own. Yet finding out that your condition is worse than it should be due to delays or misdiagnosis, is doubly devastating. That, in turn, is what drives the need for Cauda Equina syndrome claims solicitors like those that we have partnered with.

In short, Cauda Equina Syndrome requires rapid identification and treatment for patients to effectively recovery. Due to human error or faulty procedures, some patients, unfortunately, don’t receive the acceptable high standard of care.

Pregnancy and Cauda Equina Compensation

Known as Cauda Equina Syndrome, CES may not be particularly common in pregnancy, but it can be very painful. The condition causes pressure and swelling on the nerves in the spine. CES can start as gradual lower backaches, or attack a victim quickly with severe pain.

Cauda Equina needs surgical treatment to relieve pressure on the impacted nerves which should happen within 24-36 hours in extreme cases. If it’s not addressed within a certain period of time, it’s:

• painful;
• subjects you to permanent neurological damage and;
• even numbness or weakness.

Moreover, damage beyond repair can happen to nerves (especially nerve roots). That can result in permanent problems with sensory and motor function.

The rarity of a condition is no excuse for negligent care. Contact The Medical Compensation Experts today if you believe your CES occurs due to negligence. Alternatively, if a diagnosis delay causes pain and distress, resulting in overly invasive treatment and recovery. We can assess your claim and help you to access a partnered law firm and seek the maximum compensation you deserve.

What is Cauda Equina Syndrome Negligence?

Do not underestimate the potential severity of Cauda Equina. Negligence in diagnosing and treating the condition can lead to both physical and neurological issues. These include the inability to walk, bowel and bladder incontinence, and permanent paralysis.

The compression of the nerve can be incredibly painful. In turn, that makes it even more crucial to receive due care and attention as early as possible.

There are several possible causes of Cauda Equina. These include spinal tumours, negligent surgery, physical trauma, infection or inflammation, a herniated disc, and/or even congenital conditions. Cauda Equina clinical negligence can include delayed diagnosis and mistreatment. Its symptoms include

• Pain in the lower back;
• Numbness or weakness in the legs;
• Sensory loss in the pelvis and buttocks, and;
• Loss of bladder or bowel control.

They may not feature in every case, which can make it difficult to diagnose. However, that’s no reason not to expect a high standard of care.

Negligence that fuels Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims

Indeed, lower back pain happens in almost every pregnancy. But with CES symptoms present, there should be further investigation to avoid Cauda Equina malpractice.

With Cauda Equina Syndrome, successful claims have been the result of various mistakes. Below are some examples that result in Cauda Equina compensation.

• Not requesting further tests wherein there is a belief that Cauda Equina might exist but is not immediately apparent. (For the record, CES diagnosis requires an MRI scan).
• The misunderstanding of scan results.
• Delayed surgical treatment due to miscommunication or lack of referral.
• Not obtaining informed patient consent before beginning treatment.
• Inadequate foetal monitoring during assessment and surgery.
• Surgical or anaesthesia errors.

Cauda Equina (CES) is a medical condition that affects the mother rather than her baby. Understandably, surgery when pregnant is something obstetricians want to avoid. But given how quickly the neurological complications can become permanent, medical staff need to act promptly. In turn, they need to cooperate with the neurosurgeon and their team for the long term health of the mother.

Thankfully, Cauda Equina is fairly uncommon to begin with. Moreover, cases of pregnancy causing CES are even more infrequent. Some doctors will never see or diagnose a case of it in their lives. Where Cauda Equina malpractice occurs is when doctors write symptoms off worth quick investigation as insignificant.

Just because something is rare does not mean supposedly expert medical professionals can simply ignore it.

Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims Case Study

What follows is one case study of a successful compensation claim for Cauda Equina negligence. It involves a woman with a history of herniated discs who experienced significant back pain at 34 weeks gestation.

She informed her midwife during a regular check-up and was advised to visit a chiropractor. During spinal manipulation, the woman heard a loud crack and immediately felt an increase in pain. The pain worsened throughout the day.

Believing her symptoms were due to pregnancy, she called the antenatal service. The service advised her on the phone to go directly to the hospital.

Given her advanced state of pregnancy, the woman was sent straight from A&E to the obstetrics department. Despite the patient’s history of back pain, her doctor didn’t refer her for an MRI. The consulting doctor felt it might harm the baby.

The Pain Won’t Subside

Shortly thereafter, the patient was sent home, only for her pain to become even worse. She also began showing other symptoms including numb buttocks and bladder incontinence every time she stood up. After another phone call, she was:

• Told that these were all normal pregnancy symptoms;
• Given a prescription for painkillers;
• Informed that it wasn’t necessary for her to go back to the hospital.

The next morning, the patient phoned the midwife service for advice. Her symptoms by this point now included leg pain and spasms. They called her back several hours later, advising her to come back to the hospital.

This was around 48 hours after she had first reported feeling CES symptoms. Tests, including an MRI scan, were done. Yet by allowing her to eat, they had to delay surgery for another 12 hours. By this point, her bladder had stretched beyond repair.

The patient was over 34 weeks of gestation. Doctor and patient came to an agreement that she would have an emergency Caesarean before spinal surgery.** Happily, both surgeries went well, and her baby was born healthy.

Unfortunately, delays in diagnosing and treating her CES has led to permanent incontinence and regular bladder infections. These life-altering conditions were recognised when calculating her compensation settlement in her successful Cauda Equina negligence clam.

You can find examples of other case studies for breach of duty in Cauda Equina injury claims here and here.

Claiming Compensation for Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims

The amount of compensation you will receive for your for Cauda Equina Syndrome negligence claim will depend on your prognosis. If the delays cause permanent damage that limits how you live your life day-to-day then, you deserve payment. You should also receive money to compensate you for any lost earnings both while you are recovering. Not to mention the loss of future earnings if you are unable to continue working due to your injury.

Other aspects which may be considered when calculating damages include these red flags.

• Additional home help or childcare if you are unable to carry out routine tasks.
• The decay of your libido and sexual dysfunction, affecting sex life due to your physical injury.
• The cost of transport to and from any medical appointments or hospital treatments.
• Ongoing pain and suffering caused by medical negligence.

It’s not possible to accurately predict how much compensation you will get for your medical negligence claim. But Cauda Equina negligence claims are often tens of thousands of pounds. As the condition requires prompt treatment, delays and negligence can cause permanent and life-changing damage.

Because your case is unique, your medical negligence solicitor will advise you regarding compensation.

How Can We Help?

Making a claim for Cauda Equina negligence – or any clinical negligence involving spinal cord/spinal injury – takes time.

It all starts when you take the first step and contact our medical negligence agents. You’ll get a completely free claim assessment to see if we can connect you to one of our partnered law firms. If we can help, we will put you in contact with law firm that will assist you further. You will speak with one of their team of lawyers experienced in obtaining compensation in situations like yours. They will find out about what has happened to you and how your life has been affected. In turn, they’ll professionally assess the:

• strength of your claim and;
• likelihood of you being successful if you decide to proceed.

The next stage is to gather the evidence necessary to support your claim for Cauda Equina negligence. The evidence can include findings from an independent medical assessor. They will compile this information and present it with your request for compensation to your health provider. Some negotiation may take place, but a high number of compensation claims end with an out-of-court settlement.

Furthermore, your care provider may:

• refuse to accept responsibility, or;
• can’t arrive at an agreement on the appropriate compensation amount.

Accordingly, they will seek assistance from the courts to make sure you receive adequate compensation and an end to your ordeal.

No Win No Fee* Cauda Equina Syndrome Claims

With The Medical Negligence Experts, everyone can afford top-quality legal support with our partnered solicitors No Win No Fee* agreement. We also provide free, no-obligation conversations where you can ask any questions you might have.

*No Win No Fee: Typically, customers pay 25% including VAT of the compensation amount that is recovered by our third-party law firms, although this is subject to your individual circumstances and the actual fee may be more or less than this. Termination fees may apply if you do not keep to the terms of the agreement.

No Win No Fee* agreements reduce any financial risk associated with starting a compensation claim. Indeed, we’ll only recommend you start an application if we believe it will be successful. Nevertheless, the outcome depends on:

• quality of proof showing the extent of your injury and;
• the negligent care that demonstrably causes it.

Our partnered solicitors No Win No Fee* agreement with you as a client means exactly what it says. If you don’t receive compensation four your claim, you don’t have to pay any legal fees.

Your solicitor can also help with After Event (ATE) insurance on your behalf. ATE covers the other party’s legal costs if your claim is unsuccessful. If you are interested, then get in touch so we can explain how the process will work for you.

We understand the importance of keeping clients updated about the progress of their claim. Therefore, we’ll give you the email and phone number of your personal injury lawyer. You can contact them directly, giving you a direct line to an expert.

We and our partnered law firms will do as much as possible to personalise the service we offer so that it fits your needs. Every compensation claim is unique as no one person or their family is affected by negligence in the same way.

Compensation Claim Time Limits

The deadline for making a medical negligence claim is three years from the date of an injury. However, if the person is under 18 years at the time, until the day before their 21st birthday. In actuality, you don’t need to complete the claim in this window of time. However, it is important that you initiate it before then so contact The Medical Negligence Experts today.

The Medical Negligence Experts can also assist if you have suffered another sort of medical negligence during pregnancy. Types of pregnancy and birth claims we handle include:

• Avoidable injuries caused to a mother or baby during delivery such as incorrect use of forceps or a ventouse.
• Delay in intervening when a mother or baby is struggling.
• Examples of this include inadequate foetal monitoring to determine if a baby is in distress. Also, brain damage or death when an emergency Caesarean is not performed in time.
• Failing to give an episiotomy that would avoid muscular tears, or negligent episiotomy stitching and repair.

The Medical Negligence Experts work with different law firms that have the knowledge and experience necessary to achieve the most positive outcome for you and your family.

We appreciate that some applications are straightforward and easy to resolve. Meanwhile, others, especially when a long term prognosis is not yet clear, can take far longer to resolve. Trust that your lawyer will be with you every step of the way.

Call today or fill in our online contact form and we will call at a time that suits you.

*Please note that conditions apply.

**The intended to prevent her baby from being exposed to the anaesthetic.