In February 2018, Michigan teenager Marquel Brumley was diagnosed with a viral infection at an urgent care facility and was sent home for the infection to run its course. When he started having migraines, emergency medicine doctors at the local hospital gave him over-the-counter pain medication and sent him home again. The migraines did not go away. Then his mother took him to an Ann Arbor hospital but doctors there diagnosed simple migraines and he was again sent home. When Brumley’s face became swollen and lost muscle movement, doctors performed an MRI which revealed that a sinus infection had traveled to his brain. Brumley’s family was told that the sinus infection had penetrated through the bone into the blood vessels in the brain. He underwent surgery but blood clots had formed, cutting off oxygen to his brain. He died a few days later.
While sinus infections are common, Mayoclinic.org tells us that these viral infections can turn into meningitis, encephalitis, and/or a brain abscess.
Encephalitis often causes only mild flu-like signs and symptoms — such as a fever or headache — or no symptoms at all. Sometimes the flu-like symptoms are more severe. Encephalitis can also cause confused thinking, seizures, or problems with senses or movement… The inflammation can injure the brain, possibly resulting in coma or death…
Primary encephalitis occurs when a virus or other agent directly infects the brain. The infection may be concentrated in one area or widespread. A primary infection may be a reactivation of a virus that had been inactive after a previous illness.
The Encephalitis Society, https://www.encephalitis.info/, describes the seriousness of the neurological condition by saying that “unfortunately, despite improvements in specific and more supportive treatments such as excellent intensive care management, it still has a high mortality (death) rate… Even with the right treatment, certain types of encephalitis have mortality rates of between 10-30%.”
Emergency medicine physicians treat many life-threatening medical conditions. Misdiagnosis of a deadly condition such as encephalitis, meningitis, or a brain infection may result in medical malpractice litigation. Hiring an experienced board-certified emergency medicine expert witness from a top ranked medical center is an instrumental resource. To secure an expert witness handpicked for your case, contact ELITE Medical Experts and speak with a board-certified physician on our staff.
