Bacterial meningitis causes an inflammation around the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. This inflammation leads to increased intracranial pressure and can cause a catastrophic brain injury or death if the patient does not quickly receive proper medical treatment, including IV antibiotics, steroids, and close monitoring of neurological status.

Examples of medical errors that lead to malpractice claims include:

• Failure to suspect meningitis when patient presents with severe headache, fever and stiff neck, particularly if patient recently had neurological surgery

• Performance of a spinal tap on patient already experiencing mental status changes from increased intracranial pressure as the tap can cause the brain to herniate

• Failure to start appropriate IV antibiotics immediately after spinal tap and/or collection of blood samples for cultures

• Failure to appropriately monitor the patient for signs of increased intracranial pressure that may necessitate medical or surgical intervention to prevent catastrophic brain injury or death

If you or a family member have suffered a catastrophic injury or loss due to a failure to diagnose or treat bacterial meningitis in a timely manner, contact Bill Maddix, your Minnesota medical malpractice lawyer, for a free consultation.