Claims for delay in diagnosing subarachnoid haemorrhage
A brain haemorrhage is bleeding in or around the brain which may be caused by a traumatic brain injury or may have happened spontaneously as a result of a ruptured aneurysm, which is a form of stroke and is also know as a haemorrhagic stroke.
There are four types of haemorrhage, named according to where the bleeding occurs:
- subarachnoid haemorrhage
- intracerebral haemorrhage
- subdural haemorrhage
- extradural haemorrhage
Subdural and extradural haemorrhages are the most common type after a traumatic brain injury and can be a cause of further brain damage that can lead to more long-term effects. Symptoms can develop rapidly or can take a number of weeks to develop and urgent investigation and treatment is required.
Causes and symptoms of subarachnoid haemorrhage
Subarachnoid and intracerebral haemorrhages are more likely to happen spontaneously. A subarachnoid haemorrhage is a sudden leak of blood under the arachnoid membrane. It is a serious, life-threatening condition.
In 75% of cases there is a weakness in the wall of one of the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. The resulting balloon-like swelling is called an aneurysm. The haemorrhage occurs when the aneurysm wall tears because of the pressure of the blood as it is pumped through the brain. When this happens, blood bursts into the surrounding brain tissue. Aneurysms can also occur in blood vessels in other parts of the body but there us no link between these aneurysms and brain aneurysms.
The common symptoms for a subarachnoid haemorrhage are a severe and sudden headache (“thunderclap headache”) followed by vomiting. It is common for people to experience a stiff neck and some may also start to slur their speech, experience visual impairments or have a physical problem such as weakness in an arm or leg. In more severe cases people may collapse and may even have a seizure.
Medical care
On admission to hospital a CT scan of the brain is done to identify the cause of the problems. Further scans such as MRI or CTA scans may also be undertaken. Depending the nature and location of the aneurysm surgery can be performed to clip the aneurysm or a coil can be fitted non-invasively.
Delays in diagnosis can arise from a failure to recognise the symptoms leading to a delayed CT scan. Delays in diagnosis are more common in patients whose mental state remains normal at presentation. This increases the period of time without treatment and increases the chances of a rebleed, leading to further injury.
After a subarachnoid haemorrhage there is a risk that the blood vessels in the brain will contract suddenly and block the blood supply to the brain and cause a stroke. The sudden contraction of blood vessels is called vasospasm.
How we can help
If a medical professional has failed to exercise due care in diagnosing or treating subarachnoid haemorrhage and complications result, you may have a claim against them.
Making a brain injury claim
For free and expert advice on making a medical negligence claim click here or call us free on 0800 0382 382. We are available to take your call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
If you want to provide some details to us in advance, why not let us assess your claim now.
