Failure to Diagnose a Heart Attack

Medical Malpractice Attorneys

In a heart attack situation, every minute counts. Unfortunately, even in hospital emergency rooms where doctors are trained to make fast diagnoses and treatment calls, heart attacks can go unnoticed. A physician may either misdiagnose a heart attack as another ailment or send the patient home when the person should have remained in the hospital. Either way, failing to spot the signs of cardiac arrest can prove deadly and may create a claim for medical malpractice.

Diagnostic Mistakes

Symptoms of cardiac arrest may start off mildly or mimic other afflictions like panic attacks or heartburn. It is the physician’s job to evaluate the symptoms and properly diagnose and treat the true nature of the condition or order additional tests if the cause is unclear.

Heart attacks may go undiagnosed as a result of rushing, failing to read patient charts, lack of thorough patient history assessment, or overlooking critical indicators. Emergency room doctors may be fatigued due to too many hours on the floor, or even in rare cases under the influence of drugs or alcohol. An incorrect diagnosis can result in a treatment that exacerbates the heart problem or triggers devastating physical injury.

If you believe your heart attack was misdiagnosed, you should speak with one of our medical malpractice attorneys today.

Holding Physicians Accountable

If your loved one suffered a severe or fatal heart attack after visiting a doctor, you may be able to make an injury claim for medical malpractice and/or wrongful death. Medical malpractice cases allege that the actions of the physician were inconsistent with the accepted standards of care in the medical field today, and that this negligent action led to irreparable harm.

Proving the physician’s failure to diagnose a heart attack caused severe injury can be challenging, but having a highly skilled heart attack attorney on your side is a great start. Attorney Richard Hastings and his network of medical malpractice lawyers across the country collaborate with medical experts who work hard to prove that the physician in question in fact made a bad call. Depending on the circumstances, nurses, healthcare assistants, and hospitals may also be held accountable for harm that resulted from mistakes in the emergency room.

If you have questions about how medical professionals handled your loved one’s heart attack, let our medical malpractice attorneys provide the answers you need. Please contact Attorney Richard Hastings for a personal consultation and a possible referral to one of the best lawyers in your area.