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Virginia Medical Malpractice Cases
- Why Medical Malpractice Caps Cause Injustice
- How Hospitals Can Prevent Operating on the Wrong Limb
- Virginia Med Mal Cap Will Not Increase, Thanks to Gov. McDonnell
- Virginia Medical Malpractice Victims Now Entitled to More Hospital Information
- A Misinterpreted Mammogram Can Lead to Delayed Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Virginia Malpractice Claim for Failure to Diagnose a Heart Attack (Part A)
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) someone in the U.S. suffers a heart attack about every 34 seconds. This means that hundreds of thousands of Americans are rushed to the emergency room each year suffering a heart attack, and in some cases are turned away because of a misdiagnosis.
The sad truth is that many lives could have been saved if it weren't for negligent medical professionals either misdiagnosing a heart attack patient or dismissing the early warning signs and not taking precautions to prevent the heart attack. If you or a loved one find yourselves in this situation, you may have grounds for a Virginia medical malpractice claim.
Complications in Diagnosing a Heart Attack
A heart attack, also known as an acute myocardial infarction, is when the heart muscle does not receive adequate oxygen-rich blood because of a blockage in blood flow. This may be caused by a blood clot, atherosclerosis, or a coronary artery spasm. No matter what the cause, a heart attack can be deadly if not treated promptly.
The signs of a heart attack are sometimes mild and it can be difficult to pinpoint their cause. In most cases, a doctor must rely on the patient's description of symptoms to make a diagnosis. Many emergency rooms now have additional equipment, such as the cardiac sestamibi scanner, which allows doctors to visually monitor heart movement and blood flow.
Some of the symptoms of a heart attack include:
- chest discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for a few minutes and fades;
- shortness of breath either during or before chest discomfort;
- discomfort in other areas of the upper body such as arms, neck, or jaw;
- cold sweats;
- nausea; and/or
- light-headedness/dizzy spells.
These symptoms are often indicators of other less fatal conditions, or the doctor may not consider them all together as indicative of a heart attack. if they are in fact the doctor could be liable for medical malpractice. If you exhibited some of these signs and were not tested for and diagnosed for a heart attack risk and were injured as a result, you may need to file a Virginia medical malpractice claim.
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