Can I File a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Lawsuit?

February is American Heart Month. American Heart Month is a federally designated event aimed at spreading awareness about heart health and ways to reduce heart (cardiovascular) disease and heart attacks. Each year seven million people go to the Emergency Room (ER) with symptoms of a heart attack. Of those, 4.6 million people are experiencing chest pain and 1.5 million of them are suffering from a heart attack. Thirty-percent of those who have a heart attack at the ER do not survive; two to eight percent of these cases are considered “missed” heart attacks. These missed heart attacks are the reason that medical malpractice cases against emergency physicians are one of the top medical malpractice complaints in the form of a heart attack misdiagnosis lawsuit.

If you or a loved one has been injured because of a medical professional’s failure to diagnose or the misdiagnosis of a heart attack, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

What types of damages are covered in a Failure to Diagnose or Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice lawsuit?

The actual financial payout of each successful medical malpractice claim varies widely depending on the severity of the victim’s injuries and the damages incurred by the victim or the immediate family members. In most medical malpractice cases damages cover:

• Medical bills
• Ongoing medical care or support
• Lost wages and/or loss of future earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Funeral expenses

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

Symptoms and/or the severity of symptoms of a heart attack vary from patient to patient. Women are likely to experience pressure in the chest but may have a less severe sensation than men, for example. Women are also more likely to report a longer list of additional symptoms than men.

Symptoms of heart attack:

• Fatigue
• Pain in shoulder back neck and/or jaw
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Weakness
• Feeling dizzy or light headed
• Nausea and vomiting

When a heart attack is misdiagnosed it is usually because the nurse or physician attributed the patient’s symptoms to a different condition. For example, heart attack symptoms are sometimes confused for fractured ribs, heart burn/indigestion, anxiety/panic attacks or even a pulled muscle.

A doctor may also fail to diagnose a heart attack because he or she does not consider the patient to be in a high risk group for a heart attack.

If a patient is not confident about the first diagnosis they are given, they should ask for a second opinion. Patients can also help to ensure an accurate diagnosis by providing family and medical history information.

Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Lawsuit

When a medical professional fails to diagnose a heart attack there is a risk that the patient will die from lack of treatment. If it can be proved that a person died of a heart attack because of failure to diagnose heart attack or failure to treat heart attack in a timely manner then there may be a medical malpractice case. Speak to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your legal rights; you may be able to recover damages.

The Seattle personal injury attorneys at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC have years of experience representing families harmed by medical malpractice and other types of negligence. We seek justice for patients who have been harmed by preventable medical errors including birth injuries, hospital-acquired infections and wrongful death in Seattle and across Washington State. There are no fees or expenses to file a personal injury case as we only receive payment if we recover damages on your behalf. Do not delay; personal injury claims come with a Statute of Limitations, which means they must be filed within a certain time frame of the injury.

Call us now at (206) 752-4366 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our compassionate, experienced attorneys.