Medical Malpractice and Heart Attacks

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Medical malpractice relating to heart attacks may occur when doctors fail to correctly diagnose the symptoms of a heart attack or delay treatment of the heart attack. Failure to properly and effectively diagnose a heart attack can lead to severe consequences for the patient including death. Many of these failures to diagnose and/or treat heart attack victims occur in emergency rooms. Such situations often occur when a doctor fails to recognize symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, or radiating arm pain. Patients may often claim indigestion or other abdominal issues as the cause of their discomfort. Emergency room doctors and nurses must consider the patient’s risk factors as well as their symptoms and order the proper diagnostic tests which include an EKG, blood tests, cardiac catheterization, an angiogram, CT scan, and later, a Thallium stress test.

Symptoms of a heart attack may be subtle so it’s crucial for doctors to act effectively and promptly to avoid further heart damage. Failure to do so may have serious health consequences for the patient and constitute medical malpractice on the part of the doctor.

Jared Green
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