A spinal epidural abscess is a collection of infections in the space around the spinal cord. As the infection grows, it puts pressure on the spinal cord. If that pressure is relieved quickly, patients can often recover. If treatment is delayed, however, the damage can become permanent and lead to paralysis.
Spinal epidural abscesses are usually treatable when they are caught early. Treatment may include antibiotics and surgery to drain the infection. The key is diagnosing it before the spinal cord has been compressed for too long.
Doctors are trained to recognize the warning signs of this condition. These signs include severe back pain, fever, weakness, numbness, difficulty walking, and problems with bladder or bowel function. When a patient has several of these symptoms, especially when they are getting worse, doctors should order an MRI right away.
An MRI is a painless imaging test that creates detailed pictures of the inside of the body. It can show exactly where the infection is located, how large it is, and whether it is pressing on the spinal cord. An MRI is the best tool for diagnosing a spinal epidural abscess before permanent damage occurs.
In our client’s case, the proper tests were not ordered, and her symptoms were not taken seriously. Her severe back pain and worsening neurological symptoms were repeatedly overlooked. Because of the delay in diagnosis, the pressure on her spinal cord caused permanent damage.
The Townsley Law Firm represented her and recovered over $1,750,000 in a settlement.
A Spinal Epidural Abscess Is a Race Against Time
Our client did exactly what patients are told to do. She knew something was wrong and sought medical care again and again.
She went to the emergency room multiple times complaining of severe pain and increasing difficulty moving. Instead of looking for a serious cause, emergency room physicians diagnosed her with muscle strain and routine low back pain.
The medical records also failed to accurately describe how serious her condition had become. Nurses documented findings that showed weakness and other neurological problems, but physicians failed to include those findings in their notes. Her pain was described as only “moderate,” despite her reporting it as a 10 out of 10. Even her CT scan showed abnormal findings that should have raised concern.
Despite all of this, she was sent home still suffering from severe pain.
When she returned to the emergency room, her symptoms had gotten worse. Rather than recognizing that she was becoming seriously ill, some providers blamed her weakness and lethargy on other causes.
For nearly six days, doctors missed what was causing her symptoms.
Had the proper imaging been ordered, doctors would have discovered a spinal epidural abscess pressing on her spinal cord between the seventh and eighth vertebrae in her upper back. By the time an MRI was finally performed, the damage had already been done.
Today, our client is permanently paralyzed. She is confined to a wheelchair and lives in a nursing home.
Her symptoms matched a well-known medical emergency. The medical response simply did not match the urgency of her condition.
The Information Was There
This case is particularly heartbreaking because the information needed to make the correct diagnosis was available all along.
Our client repeatedly told doctors about her severe pain and worsening symptoms. Her examinations and test results showed warning signs that something serious was happening. The problem was not that the information was missing – it was that no one put the pieces together.
Every emergency room visit was another opportunity to order an MRI and diagnose the infection before it permanently injured her spinal cord. Unfortunately, that opportunity was missed time and time again.
When doctors finally ordered the MRI, they found the spinal epidural abscess at the T7-T8 level of her spine. By then, the window to prevent permanent injury had closed.
Our client ultimately received the correct diagnosis, but it came too late. She is now living with lifelong paralysis because her physicians failed to listen to her, failed to recognize the warning signs, and failed to order the testing that could have changed the outcome of her life.
