People in Montana who are exhibiting symptoms of lung cancer or pneumonia will undergo medical tests to determine if they suffer from either condition. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, a plan of treatment will be administered.
In order to diagnose pneumonia, a physician may conduct a physical examination that will involve checking for a fever, abnormal breathing or glandular swelling. An X-ray that can reveal the accumulation of fluid in the lungs or a simple blood test may be used to confirm the diagnosis.
The type of treatment a physician provides depends on the type of pneumonia being treated and general health of the patient. In the majority of pneumonia cases, patients can be treated in the comfort of their own home with sufficient rest, medicine and fluids.
In cases in which the pneumonia is severe or life-threatening, hospitalization may be required. This is so that the required antibiotics and fluids can be administered to the patient intravenously. It may also be necessary to give the patient oxygen therapy or some other form of breathing treatments.
Getting diagnoses of lung cancer can be challenging. An X-ray of the chest can be used, but a computerized tomography “CT” scan will be administered to confirm the diagnosis. After the confirmation of lung cancer, all of the malignant cells are located using a positron emission tomography-CT, or PET-CT. A biopsy, or the extraction of a small sample of lung tissue for examination, will be performed.
A personal injury attorney may pursue financial damages on behalf of a client who was a victim of medical malpractice. A lawsuit may be filed for worsened conditions resulting from a failure to diagnose, anesthesia errors, surgical errors or hospital negligence.