Boston Medical Malpractice and Workers' Compensation Blog

Patients put their faith — and their lives — in their doctors' hands every day. We trust that their skills and accumulated knowledge will be sufficient to diagnose and treat what ails us.

But what happens when the doctors are wrong? Diagnostic errors can kill patients by hastening their deaths from often-treatable conditions. The errors also prolong suffering and cause unnecessary anxiety and fear in patients and also their loved ones.

According to federal investigators, the trigger for the series of deadly gas explosions in and around Lawrence last month was Columbia Gas of Massachusetts' failure to move from an abandoned pipe an underground pressure sensor while construction work was taking place in Lawrence.

As a result, the gas flowed into the local network. Explosions and fires rocked towns all over the Merrimack Valley. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the utility didn't inform the construction crew about the need to either move or detach the pressure sensor. As a result, the sensor detected decreased pressure in the abandoned line. It sent a signal to the control station to flood the system with dangerously high levels of gas.

If you are a Boston construction worker, you could be at risk for a condition you may never have heard of. Compartment syndrome is often a serious complication of an on-the-job crushing injury, although that is not the only cause of the condition.

When a body part (usually a limb or the torso) gets crushed between two surfaces, the excessive pressure in the enclosed muscle space constricts the blood flow to the region. If the condition isn't treated quickly, it can cause permanent damage -- even death.

Just like anyone, doctors can and do make mistakes on occasion. If you feel doubtful about a doctor's diagnosis of your condition for any reason whatsoever, there is nothing wrong with seeking a second opinion from another doctor. Even if a confirmation of the same diagnosis is what you ultimately receive, a second doctor might provide more information about additional or alternative treatment options.

It is no secret that a significant number of deaths nationwide, including some in Massachusetts, result from medical errors every year. That in itself might be sufficient motivation for you to want to take an active part in your health care.