ER docs can recognize UTI symptoms

It can be rather alarming to notice that your urine looks cloudy or tinged with a pink color. If you also experienced a pinching or burning feeling while urinating, you might start to worry that something is wrong, and, in fact, you might be correct. It’s always best to seek medical attention if you suspect that you have an infection or illness.

Doctors are trained to recognize UTI symptoms

It’s not uncommon, especially in females, to contract a urinary tract infection (UTI). If you have a UTI, it might affect numerous parts of your body, including your bladder, your kidneys or urethra, which is the tube through which urine flows.

If you go to an emergency room because you have pain when you void your bladder, or your urine looks cloudy or pink, a trained physician would recognize the symptoms as suggestive of a possible UTI. In such cases, an ER doctor would order certain tests to confirm or rule out this type of infection.

Other symptoms of a UTI

If you have cloudy or pink-tinged urine, it alerts an ER doctor that there may be blood or bacteria in your urine. These are common symptoms of a UTI. The following list shows additional symptoms you might experience if your bladder or kidneys are infected:

• Strong urge to urinate but having very low stream of urine
• Urine that smells foul
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Muscle aches
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Back or side pain
• Chills

Several of these symptoms are common for mild cases of UTI, while others are typically associated with acute pyelonephritis, which is a sudden onset kidney infection. The latter is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.

Failed diagnoses can place your life at risk

When you visit an ER in need of medical examination because of symptoms that suggest a UTI, you can expect the attending physician to know what tests to order and how to determine whether you, in fact, have a UTI or some other condition. Failure to diagnose a UTI, especially a kidney infection, can cause your condition to worsen, possibly becoming a life-threatening situation.

Sadly, this type of situation has occurred in Delaware and many other states, resulting in severe injury or illness to patients. Some patients have died as a result of their doctors’ failure to diagnose their conditions. Many patients have sought financial recovery for damages by filing medical malpractice claims in court.