Glossary of Medical Malpractice Law Terms

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Medical Incident: Any act, error or omission during the providing of professional services.

Medical lien: The right of a hospital, doctor or health care provider to assert an interest in personal injury recoveries to the extent of the cost of the treatment or service provided. Medical Malpractice: Improper or negligent treatment of a person under a medical professional's care, which results in injury or death.

Medical Negligence: Failure of a physician or other medical personnel to meet the standards of conduct for duties relating to the medical profession. Those standards are based on what a reasonable person with the requisite knowledge and skills would or would not do.

Mellaril: An antipsychotic drug for schizophrenics. Mellaril has been associated with causing cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death.

Meridia: A prescription diet drug containing Sibutramine. Sibutramine has been associated adverse cardiovascular effects and, in some instances, death.

Mesothelioma: A type of cancer found in people who have been exposed to asbestos. Mesothelioma can occur in the lining of the lungs or abdomen, and it has no known cure.

Misdiagnosis: A medical professional's failure to properly identify and diagnose a patient's medical condition. A doctor can be held liable for any damages that result from a misdiagnosis if the medical mistake was a result of negligence. Medical negligence (a subtype of medical malpractice) is defined as a medical professional's failure to exact the degree of care, skill, and prudence that a reasonable medical professional would in a similar situation.

Mistrial: An erroneous invalid trial that cannot stand in law.