Heart Attack: Misdiagnosis and Negligent Treatment
Heart disease is the leading cause of death of both men and women in the U.S. Over 650,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. each year. That represents about 27 percent of all deaths in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While heart disease remains a significant health challenge, a great deal can be done by physicians to prevent their patients' heart attacks or to treat them when they occur. The key to a successful outcome is a prompt and accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
The attorneys at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, PC, represent people who suffered serious harm because of medical negligence related to the diagnosis and treatment of a heart attack. We have obtained millions of dollars in financial compensation for cardiac patients in cases involving heart attack misdiagnosis, surgical errors, medication errors and defective medical devices.
Doctor Error and Heart Attack
Unfortunately, many people who appear at doctors' offices and emergency rooms with symptoms of a heart attack are misdiagnosed. Often they are sent home, where they later experience a fatal heart attack.
Doctors often look for classic symptoms of heart attack, like crushing chest pain and numbness running down an arm or leg. But other heart attack symptoms are much more subtle.
Warning signs of a sudden heart attack include:
- Chest pain or pressure that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away
and comes back - Pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, or jaw
- Abdominal discomfort that can feel like heartburn
- Shortness of breath
- Breaking out in a cold sweat
- Nausea or lightheadedness
Women and Heart Attacks
Women are more likely to experience heart attack symptoms other than chest pain, including unusual or unexplained fatigue. A study by the National Institutes of Health indicates that women often develop symptoms as much as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks.
Fewer than 30 percent of women in the NIH study reported having chest pain or discomfort prior to their heart attacks, and 43 percent reported having no chest pain during any phase of the attack.
Doctors who still consider chest pain as the primary indicator of heart attack risk misdiagnosis of both women and men.
Heart Attack Misdiagnosis and the Law
If your believe medical malpractice may have been involved when you or a loved one sought treatment, please contact the attorneys at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, PC, to arrange a free initial consultation.
We will review the medical records to assess whether if medical malpractice occurred. Then we will explain your legal rights and options, including the option to pursue financial compensation for the damages caused by the heart attack misdiagnosis.
From offices in Bridgeport, Stamford, Danbury and New Haven, Connecticut, our medical malpractice lawyers represent clients throughout the state.
