Improper Diagnosis and Treatment of Heart Attacks, Cardiac Arrest and Heart Failure

November 24, 2011

A person goes to the hospital after feeling tightness in his chest. There, a physician runs a battery of tests to determine the cause. The tests show that nothing is seriously wrong, even though the patient is sure his pains are abnormal. The physician gives the patient healthy-eating instructions, prescribes an aspirin regimen and may even prescribe anti-anxiety medication for panic attacks. A few days later, the patient dies from cardiac arrest.

This is a tragic story that we have heard far too many times as Cleveland medical malpractice lawyers. While diagnostic advancements have led to fewer medical errors, tens of thousands of heart attacks, cardiac arrests and heart failures still go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed each year. According to studies done by the New England Journal of Medicine, two percent of all heart attacks are misdiagnosed. This number seems low, until you consider that 1.2 million people suffer from heart attacks every year in the U.S.

Failure to Timely Diagnose Heart Attacks

Heart attacks are caused by blockage of blood flow to the heart. Coronary heart disease (CHD) / coronary artery disease causes the majority of heart attacks, cardiac arrests and heart failures. Symptoms of heart attacks include chest pain, discomfort in the chest (which could be mild or severe), arms, back, stomach, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, and nausea. Often, the patients know that something is wrong. Yet, many doctors give more credence to medical tests than they do to how a patient feels.

There are multiple heart attack diagnosis tests a physician may choose to run, including:
- Electrocardiograms (ECGs)
- Chest X-rays
- Computed tomography (CT) scans
- Cardiac markers / blood tests
- Stress tests
- Heart catheterization

Misdiagnosis of coronary artery disease and signs and symptoms of a heart attack or heart failure can occur when a doctor makes an error in reading medical test results, fails to administer the proper tests or takes a "wait-and-see" approach. Making the wrong decision during a coronary event can lead to a delay or failed diagnosis of a heart attack, which can mean the difference between life and death. The sooner thrombolytics (clot-busting drugs) are administered or surgical intervention is done, the better the patients' chances of recovery.

Recovering Compensation After Heart Attack Misdiagnosis

What if misdiagnosis occurs and a patient dies as a result? The victim's family can bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor and/or hospital responsible for misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose the coronary event, which could have prevented or minimized the damage caused to the heart by a heart attack.

While we always hope and expect that our doctors will do their jobs carefully, when signs and symptoms of a possible life-threatening condition exist, a high suspicion of a possible cardiac event must be considered and ruled out. Failure to do the job expected when a patient presents timely to a doctor or hospital can lead to the death and the destruction of the life of a loved one that can impact a family forever.

A medical malpractice lawsuit is one of the best ways to hold doctors and hospitals accountable for their negligent actions and, hopefully, help lead to more careful medical care in the future. It is also the only way a family can recover compensation for their medical bills, funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and economic damages caused by the death of a father, mother, wife or husband.

While heart attack jury verdicts are some of the largest medical malpractice verdicts awarded, bringing a malpractice lawsuit is not easy and is often very expensive. It clearly requires the skill and experience of a heart attack malpractice lawyer. For instance, plaintiffs must show that the doctor or hospital's negligence was a "proximate cause" of the injury. The question to ask is: if the doctor had properly diagnosed the heart attack, would the patient have survived or would the results have been the same? Some heart attacks cannot be prevented or acted upon any quicker, or the injury that occurs cannot be lessened with early treatment. The answer to whether there is a medical malpractice case is fact-specific to your individual case.

Preventing Medical Malpractice

Most medical malpractice clients want answers, but they also want to ensure that what happened to their loved one will not happen to someone else. This is a battle for all of us to fight -- not just the victims' families. If unsafe medical care isn't recognized and prevented, then you or your loved one could be the next victim of a random act of negligence.

If your loved one has died or you have been injured as the result of failure to diagnose a heart attack, turn to an Ohio heart attack malpractice lawyer to learn whether you can bring a medical negligence claim.

Article provided by Mishkind Law Firm Co., L.P.A.
Visit us at www.mishkindlaw.com