In times past, one of the most trusted professionals in this country was a physician. They healed diseases, comforted the sick, and even took care of animals when necessary. However, as medicine has become more complex and medical malpractice lawsuits have exploded across our culture, many doctors are too busy and too stressed to give their full attention to every complaint a patient has. When that happens and a serious injury results, it is called medical malpractice, and the doctor can and should be held accountable.
Misdiagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease
The leading cause of death in the U.S. is coronary artery disease, with over 13 million sufferers in any given year. With that degree of prevalence, it would seem that doctors today would consider this disease every time any related symptoms are mentioned by patients. Yet statistics also show that many doctors fail to give the common symptoms the attention they deserve. The common symptoms of coronary heart disease include:
- Chest pain, or angina
- Shortness of breath
- Fast heartbeat
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Increased sweating
In addition, for women the symptoms may not appear in the same way or with the same intensity. As a result, women are 7 times more likely to be misdiagnosed, with doctors failing to correctly read the signs. As a result, women are often treated for heartburn when complaining of the common symptoms of heart disease. For women, those symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Nausea and upset stomach
- Jaw or neck pain
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
Failure to Test Patients Complaining of Chest Pains
Despite all their training and the many cases of heart disease that are misdiagnosed, medical professionals still too often fail to properly diagnose patients complaining of chest pains for a wide variety of reasons, including:
- Failing to order the appropriate tests
- Misreading the results
- Choosing a diagnoses which is non-life-threatening, such as gastritis
- Ignoring a pertinent symptom
How a Doctor May Be Liable for a Patient Heart Attack
The law holds a doctor to a reasonable standard of accountability for the patients they see. If they fail to fulfill that duty and injury occurs, the patient or the surviving family members of a patient who dies may have grounds for filing medical malpractice. The legal requirements state that a medical professional or institution may be liable:
- If a doctor’s actions fail to meet generally accepted standards of medical care
- If a hospital’s insufficient or improper care or training result in patient injuries
- If a local, state, or federal institution or agency failed to require or provide an opportunity for such standards of care
While many state laws now require caps on how much a plaintiff may receive in damages because of the number and costs of medical malpractice suits, they can still receive a significant amount of compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, disability, wrongful death, and more.
In order to pursue such a suit and ensure that the plaintiff receives the largest award possible, it is important to retain a medical malpractice attorney who knows how to investigate, produce evidence, call experts, and argue the case to a positive result.
