My Father (65 yrs old with family history of heart attack) suffered from fatal heart attack last December while on a bus to work. Autopsy showed that it was due to Coronary Artery Disease which was very severe. He complained about chest pain for years now, both telling his regular doctor and also going to emergency room for chest pain in 2005.
The correct tests such as an angiogram were not performed while in the hospital to diagnose the disease (he was sent on his way being told he was okay). He has regular checkups and yearly EKGs which apparently showed no abnormalities. Different doctors had opportunities to diagnose him since he always complained about chest pain.
He did go off his blood pressure medication the last few months before he died, but I believe it would not of saved his life since the coronary disease was so advanced. The failure to diagnose him by prescribing the proper tests or telling him possible causes for the angina are what concern me.
Can the hospital be held accountable for not diagnosing he CAD earlier? If they had, I feel he would not have died.
Answer:
Undiagnosed heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and the world. It is critical that hospital staff take every measure necessary to diagnose CAD upon admitting a patient with symptoms of such a dangerous disease.
Any failure to do so can result in a patients death, and the hospital CAN be held liable for the wrongful death if the failure to diagnose was negligent.
You should talk to a medical malpractice lawyer to find out what legal options you have, and determine if the undiagnosed heart disease was in fact due to negligent medical treatment.
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Posted by Staff Writer on 25 Jan 2010