If you have had a eustachian tube dysfunction misdiagnosed, you could be eligible to make a medical negligence claim. Medical professionals have a minimum standard of care they must adhere to in regard to treating their patients.
Eustachian tube dysfunction misdiagnosed claims guide
One of the potential repercussions of a breach of duty of care is a misdiagnosis. To be entitled to claim, you must have experienced negligence and have been harmed as a result.
You might be wondering:
- Why should I hire a medical negligence solicitor?
- Can I fund the work of a lawyer on a No Win No Fee basis?
- How much could my medical negligence claim be worth in compensation?
We will look to answer all of those questions in this guide. This guide will also look at the various ways in which a eustachian tube dysfunction that has been misdiagnosed could impact you, which could impact the value of a successful claim.
If, after reading this guide, you would prefer to speak to a member of our team, you can do so by:
- Calling 0800 652 3087
- Claim online contact form
- Use our live chat feature
Select A Section
- Our Guide On How To Claim If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Was Misdiagnosed
- How May Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Be Diagnosed?
- What Happens If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Is Left Untreated?
- Eligibility To Claim Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Misdiagnosis
- Potential Payouts If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Is Misdiagnosed
- Get Help From Medical Negligence Assist
Our Guide On How To Claim If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Was Misdiagnosed
In simpler terms, a eustachian tube dysfunction is an unequal pressure between the air in the middle ear and the eardrum. This means the tube fails to balance the pressure and the ventilation of the middle ear.
This can be due to:
- A cold
- Sinus issues
- Throat related illnesses
- An ear infection
- Allergies
- Pressure changes
Typically, this kind of issue will resolve itself. However, complications can arise that mean the symptoms become permanent or increase in severity.
If this happens as a direct result of you receiving an unacceptable level of care from a medical professional, and this has caused you harm, you may be able to claim compensation. Please do not hesitate to speak to an advisor from our team for more information.
How May Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Be Diagnosed?
Some symptoms of a eustachian tube dysfunction include:
- Muffled or dull hearing
- Pressure difference causing the drum to stretch
- Fullness in the ear
- Tinnitus
- Dizziness
- Noises, such as pops and clicks
If you have had symptoms for more than 6 weeks, you may want to seek medical attention. Your doctor could perform:
- A hearing test
- A tymapnogram. This is a way of determining the pressure behind the eardrum
- A nasopharyngoscopy. This involves a camera being used to look at the back of your nose to the eustachian tube directly.
- A CT scan
If your doctor does not provide you with the minimum standard of care and misdiagnoses your eustachian tube dysfunction, it could worsen your condition. It could also lead to another kind of error in the course of your medical treatment. For example, you could be misdiagnosed with another condition, meaning that you are given medication for an illness you don’t have. This medication error that occurs as the result of misdiagnosis could harm you in a number of ways.
For more information in terms of eustachian tube dysfunction that have been misdiagnosed, please contact our advisors.
What Happens If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Is Left Untreated?
A mild eustachian tube dysfunction may resolve itself naturally, but more severe cases may require referral to a specialist. If this kind of condition is left untreated then it could result in ongoing symptoms such as muffled hearing or loss of hearing, ear pain and dizziness.
Below, we have included examples of the treatment that you could receive:
- Nasal sprays or drops
- The insertion of a grommet to allow air into the middle ear
- Balloon dilation, which is where a small balloon is inserted into the eustachian tube and filled with salt water. It is left for a small amount of time to stretch the cavity.
If you would like further information on the impacts of an untreated or misdiagnosed eustachian tube dysfunction, please contact our advisors, who can offer you free legal advice at all times. If they feel you have a valid case, they could connect you with a lawyer from our panel.
Eligibility To Claim Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Misdiagnosis
If you have been harmed due to a eustachian tube dysfunction that has been misdiagnosed, you may be entitled to claim. However, medical negligence is not the only reason you could recieve the wrong diagnosis for a condition you have. In some cases, the doctor in question could provide this minimum standard of care but you’re misdiagnosed despite this, for example, because your symptoms are different than those that would typically be expected.
Below, we have included some examples of how unnecessary harm could happen in a medical setting:
- Your doctor fails to listen to your concerns and dismisses you without doing any diagnostic tests, despite you having clear symptoms of this condition. This means your treatment is delayed.
- When you undergo an operation, the wrong site is operated on. As a result, you need to undergo another operation and you have an unnecessary scar. This is an example of a never event.
- You experience a pelvic fracture that is missed because the technician performed the X-ray incorrectly.
- You are given the wrong medication because a pharmacist fails to read the labels properly on the prescription. As a result, you suffer an allergic reaction.
Our advisors can provide you with more information on the claims process if you get in contact. For example, they may be able to confirm whether you are within the time limit for a medical nelgigence claim. If so, and your claim has a good chance of success, they could connect you with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
Potential Payouts If Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Is Misdiagnosed
You may be wondering how much a medical negligence claim is worth. If your claim for a eustachian tube dysfunction that has been misdiagnosed is successful, the compensation you are awarded may be made up of two heads of claim. These are called general and special damages.
General damages account for any pain and suffering caused by your condition. This head of claim accounts for both physical and mental harm.
We have drafted a table of compensation amounts from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is a document that legal professionals use to help them when they value claims.
However, these figures are not guaranteed because each medical negligence claim is unique, and the settlement you may receive could differ. Therefore, these amounts should only be used as a guide.
| Body Part | Severity | Compensation Bracket | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ear | Total | £109,650 to £140,660 | Total deafness. Award will depend on presence of tinnitus |
| Ear | Total (one ear) | £31,310 to £45,540 | Total loss of hearing in one ear. |
| Ear | Partial Hearing Loss (i) | £29,710 to £45,540 | Severe tinnitus/hearing loss |
| Ear | Partial Hearing Loss (ii) | £14,900 to £29,710 | Tinnitus and hearing loss to a moderate degree. Alternatively, moderate to severe tinnitus or hearing loss alone. |
| Ear | Partial Hearing Loss (iv) | Around £11,720 | Mild tinnitus or mild hearing loss without the other. |
| Ear | Partial Hearing Loss (vi) | Up to £7,010 | Hearing loss to a slight degree with no presence of tinnitus. Slight degree of tinnitus without hearing loss. |
| Ear | Need For Hearing Aids | About £5,000 | The acceleration of the use of hearing aids for around 5 years. |
| Ear | Need For Hearing Aids | About £9,700 | The acceleration of the use of hearing aids for around 15 years. |
Additionally, you may be reimbursed for any financial losses incurred due to your eustachian tube dysfunction being misdiagnosed via special damages. For instance, If your ear injury also prevents you from working, you could be reimbursed for any loss of earnings that you experience.
Speak with an advisor for an assessment of how much your claim is worth. If it’s valid, then you could be connected with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel; we explain what this means in the next section.
Get Help From Medical Negligence Assist
Claiming with a No Win No Fee agreement in place can be very beneficial for claimants financially. This is because it can allow you access to a lawyer without any need to pay upfront or ongoing fees. A solicitor could help you collect evidence as proof of medical negligence, for example.
Typically, a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel would cover you under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a kind of No Win No Fee agreement. It means that if your case is lost, you generally won’t have to pay any fees to your lawyer.
Although if your case is won, a legally capped success fee will be subtracted from the compensation you are awarded and paid to your solicitor.
If you would like to find out whether you are eligible to be covered via a No Win No Fee agreement, please contact a member of our team.
If they deem you to have an eligible claim, they may connect you with a No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitor from our panel. To get in touch:
- Calling 0800 652 3087
- Claim online contact form
- Use our live chat feature
Related Guides On Medical Misdiagnosis
We have included some of our own guides that could be of benefit to you:
Additionally, we have included some additional guides that you might find useful:
Thank you for reading our guide on what to do if you have been subject to a eustachian tube dysfunction that has been misdiagnosed.
Guide by Beck
Edited by Fern