Medical Malpractice, Hypertension, and Preeclampsia

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is an extremely common health condition that can be deadly. It is also a risk factor and symptom of preeclampsia, a serious medical condition often experienced by pregnant women. Despite how common hypertension is, it should be always taken seriously. It is something that your medical team should check for every time you get your annual exam. It may be hard to believe, but hypertension and preeclampsia are often either misdiagnosed or undiagnosed by doctors. When hypertension is not diagnosed properly, and proper treatment is not given, it can lead to serious health conditions, and possibly death (and health problems for the baby, too). When this happens, there are options so that you can be compensated for your injuries.

What is hypertension?

According to the World Health Organization, “hypertension (high blood pressure) is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high (140/90 mmHg or higher).” Around the globe, a startling 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 grapple with hypertension, and the majority, about two-thirds, reside in low- and middle-income countries. Almost half of these adults (46%) aren’t even aware they have high blood pressure. The diagnosis and treatment scenario aren’t much better, with less than half (42%) getting the attention they need. Alarmingly, only one in 5 adults (21%) managing hypertension have it under control. This silent health issue is a major player in premature deaths worldwide. Recognizing the severity, there’s a global target to slash the prevalence of hypertension by 33% between 2010 and 2030 as part of the battle against noncommunicable diseases.

What is preeclampsia?

Hypertension and preeclampsia go hand in hand. The Preeclampsia Foundation defines preeclampsia as “persistent high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy or the postpartum period and is often associated with high levels of protein in the urine OR the new development of decreased blood platelets, trouble with the kidneys or liver, fluid in the lungs, or signs of brain trouble such as seizures and/or visual disturbances.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal some startling statistics: Preeclampsia affects an estimated five to seven percent of all pregnancies, standing out as a prominent contributor to maternal morbidity. Shockingly, this condition leads to over 70,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal deaths globally each year. In the United States, the stakes are even higher for Black women, with a 60 percent higher incidence of preeclampsia compared to their White counterparts. Unfortunately, it’s not just about higher odds; Black women facing preeclampsia also tend to grapple with more severe outcomes, including kidney damage and an increased risk of mortality.

Clearly, hypertension is a huge issue worldwide, and while doctors and medical teams work hard to prevent and treat this condition, they are as human as the rest of us, and are liable to make mistakes. Unfortunately, those mistakes come at the cost of someone’s health.

What complications can arise from hypertension?

If your hypertension goes unchecked, the consequences could be dire. Other than experiencing uncomfortable symptoms such as severe headaches, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision or other vision changes, anxiety, confusion, buzzing in the ears, nosebleeds, and abnormal heart rhythm (which you may not feel at all – a testament to how tricky hypertension is); you may continue on to suffer from:

• Heart attack. A heart attack happens when the blood supply to the heart is obstructed, leading to the death of heart muscle cells due to a lack of oxygen. The extent of damage to the heart increases the longer the blood flow remains blocked.
• Heart failure. Heart failure occurs when the heart struggles to pump a sufficient amount of blood and oxygen to essential organs in the body.
• Stroke. When blood flow to the brain is interrupted, or a blood vessel in the brain bursts.
• Irregular heart beat. This can lead to sudden death.

While hypertension can lead to preeclampsia (and likewise preeclampsia can cause hypertension), someone suffering from preeclampsia is at risk for not only the previous complications and symptoms, but also:

• Eclampsia. A rare and severe condition, characterized by seizures or a coma occurring in a pregnant woman after experiencing preeclampsia. A coma involves extended unconsciousness, where the victim does not respond to voices, sounds, or activity.
• Preterm birth. Despite treatment, early delivery might be necessary to avert serious health issues for both the mother and the baby.
• Placental abruption. This occurs when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before birth, either partially or completely. It can lead to insufficient oxygen and nutrients reaching the baby, with vaginal bleeding being a common symptom after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
• Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR): Characterized by inadequate fetal growth in the womb, IUGR may occur when the mother has high blood pressure narrowing blood vessels in the uterus and placenta. Inadequate oxygen and nutrient supply to the baby through the umbilical cord can result in IUGR.
• Low birthweight: A potential consequence of the aforementioned complications, low birthweight poses health risks for the newborn.

With preeclampsia, the life of the mother is not only at risk, but so is the child’s. Birth injury is unfortunately common in cases of untreated or undiagnosed preeclampsia.

Can medical professionals be held liable for my hypertension?

Our blood pressure might spike when we go to the doctor’s office for our annual check-up (this is actually a real condition known as White Coat Hypertension and can cause negligent or poorly-trained medical professionals to prescribe you medication you don’t truly need), but is it consistently high or is it just a fluke? This is something your doctor needs to know how to identify and properly diagnose.

Failure to diagnose or treat hypertension can be a deadly mistake for your doctor to make. According to PlushCare, “if left untreated, a blood pressure of 180/120 or higher results in an 80% chance of death within one year, with an average survival rate of ten months.” If your undiagnosed hypertension does not cause your death, it may leave you in a disabled state after you’ve suffered from a complication of high blood pressure.

How to prove medical malpractice when it comes to hypertension

Determining liability for the failure to treat or diagnose high blood pressure involves a careful examination of key legal elements. It’s important to note that not every instance of not treating high blood pressure amounts to medical malpractice. To establish your healthcare provider’s liability, you must demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, several crucial points:

• Duty of care. Establish that your healthcare provider owed you a professional duty of care. This duty implies that the healthcare professional is expected to provide a standard of care in line with what a reasonably competent practitioner would do under similar circumstances.
• Failure to provide duty of care. Show that your healthcare provider breached this duty, deviating from the recognized standard of care.
• A clear link between breach of care and your suffering. Establish a clear causal link between the breach and the injuries you suffered due to the failure to treat high blood pressure.
• Damages. Demonstrate the damages incurred as a result of this breach, which can include medical costs, additional treatments, lost wages, and other relevant financial losses.

Doctors and medical professionals play an important role in our society, and they ideally have extensive knowledge in their field of practice. Because of this, we are meant to trust them with our lives. When those medical professionals make mistakes that can be easily avoided, they must be held accountable.

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