Kenneth D. St. Pé established medical malpractice liability in an emergency department action involving a 51-year-old patient who presented with textbook signs of an acute stroke (a sudden disruption of blood supply to part of the brain). The emergency physician misdiagnosed the life-threatening neurological condition as Bell’s palsy (a temporary, benign weakness or paralysis of facial muscles caused by inflammation of a facial nerve), omitted critical brain imaging, and failed to administer time-sensitive stroke medications. This failure to diagnose allowed the condition to progress into a posterior circulation brainstem stroke, Wallenberg syndrome (a severe neurological disorder caused by tissue death in the lateral brainstem), Horner’s syndrome (nerve pathway damage causing eyelid drooping and facial numbness), and permanent neurological deficits.
Case Profile
The Claimant: Vulnerable Adult / Emergency Room Patient (51-year-old female with a medical history of Type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension/high blood pressure, chronic back pain, and fibromyalgia).
The Defendant: Emergency Department Physician & Regional Hospital System in Louisiana.
Incident Dynamics:
- Failure to Recognize Stroke Symptoms: Emergency room medical staff failed to recognize classic symptoms of a posterior circulation brainstem stroke, including new-onset right-sided facial numbness, right eyelid and mouth drooping, left arm weakness, and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
- Diagnostic Omission & Inadequate Imaging: The physician diagnosed the presentation as Bell’s palsy based solely on a non-contrast head CT scan (which cannot reliably rule out early brainstem strokes), while failing to order a brain MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or obtain an urgent neurology consultation.
- Deprivation of Timely Stroke Intervention: Failure to administer standard antiplatelet or thrombolytic therapies to stop stroke progression, depriving the patient of timely treatment and directly leading to permanent central nervous system injury.
Injuries & Medical Taxonomy
- Brainstem Stroke (Posterior Circulation Infarct): Tissue death in the lower back portion of the brain caused by blocked arterial blood flow.
- Wallenberg Syndrome (Lateral Pontomedullary Infarct): A neurological condition resulting from damage to the lateral brainstem, producing facial sensory loss, impaired swallowing, and loss of muscular coordination.
- Horner’s Syndrome: A neurological disorder resulting from disrupted sympathetic nerve pathways to the face, causing ptosis (drooping eyelid) and constricted pupils.
- Ataxia: Impaired muscle coordination leading to an unsteady, stumbling walking gait and loss of balance.
- Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing caused by cranial nerve impairment.
- Upgoing Plantar Reflex (Babinski Sign): An abnormal reflex response in the foot indicating central nervous system and spinal tract trauma.
- Lost Chance of a Better Outcome: Permanent neurological disability and lost opportunity for complete or partial recovery due to delayed medical intervention.
- Jurisdictional Basis: Louisiana Patients’ Compensation Fund (PCF) / State of Louisiana.
Regulatory Breaches & Standard of Care Violations
The lawsuit established multiple direct breaches of accepted emergency medical standards and diagnostic protocols:
- Improper Differential Diagnosis of Central Neurological Deficits: The emergency room physician breached the standard of care by prematurely ruling out a cerebrovascular accident (CVA/stroke) despite bilateral neurological findings (right facial drooping combined with left arm weakness), incorrectly diagnosing a peripheral cranial nerve issue (Bell’s palsy) in a patient with major stroke risk factors.
- Over-Reliance on Inadequate Diagnostic Modalities: The medical provider breached standard emergency protocols by relying exclusively on an unenhanced head CT scan to rule out a stroke. Standard medical practice requires magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or vascular imaging when posterior circulation brainstem ischemia is suspected, as initial CT scans frequently fail to reveal early posterior fossa strokes.
- Failure to Administer Timely Medical Therapies: The attending medical team failed to administer appropriate stroke medications to halt vascular thrombosis and protect brain tissue, directly causing the patient to lose the chance of avoiding permanent disability.
Consult a Board-Certified Medical Malpractice Attorney in Lafayette
If you or a family member suffered permanent disability, brain damage, or delayed diagnosis due to an emergency room physician failing to identify a stroke, contact our Lafayette office.
Kenneth D. St. Pé is an AV Preeminent, board-certified medical malpractice attorney with extensive experience holding negligent hospitals and emergency physicians accountable across Louisiana.
- Office Address: 700 St. John Street, Suite 401, Lafayette, LA 70501
- Direct Line: 337-534-4043
- Consultation: Free & Strictly Confidential