In pediatric emergency departments in Louisiana and across the country, there are often children admitted with head injuries. If your child suffers an injury, his or her symptoms may include nausea or vomiting. In many cases, doctors will prescribe Zofran to help alleviate such discomfort.
You have a right to reasonably expect that, if an emergency room physician prescribes a medication, he or she has done an extensive medical examination and has determined, according to accepted safety standards, that it is safe and recommended to use the medication in question to treat whatever ailment exists. With Zofran, doctors typically use it for severe nausea or gastroenteritis. If your child has a head injury and feels ill, treating with Zofran might not be the best idea.
Here’s why
You may already know that there are certain health risks associated with CT scans. This is why pediatric doctors typically try to avoid using them, especially on children. However, prescribing Zofran to prevent or alleviate nausea and vomiting associated with head injury may place patients at further risk.
Nausea and vomiting can signal a serious, underlying condition. With head injuries, it might be a sign of traumatic brain injury. Your child might have a fracture in his or her skull or bleeding on the brain. It is possible that Zofran could mask a serious health problem by alleviating certain symptoms, if the doctor handling the situation does not run necessary tests to rule out other issues.
Misdiagnosis can have disastrous results
If you have no medical background, you are greatly dependent on the doctor in an emergency room who is treating your injured child. You expect him or her to determine whether the injury is minor and simply requires rest and time to heal, or whether there is a much more serious issue that he or she needs to immediately address, perhaps even to save your child’s life.
If your doctor errs or is negligent, your child may suffer further adverse health because of it. If you believe a medical professional has committed a medication error, you can reach out for support to learn more about how to address such situations from a legal standpoint. Like most parents, you want what’s best for your child, and you expect his or her doctor to help him or her achieve as full a recovery as possible. If that doesn’t happen, you seek justice on your child’s behalf.
