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The Law Offices of Michael O'Day

Medical Malpractice: Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Lawyer

Over 5 million people every year in the U.S. visit emergency rooms with heart attack symptoms including chest pains. Since heart attack symptoms are comparable to a many of the common non-life threatening conditions, medical professionals sometimes fail to recognize the severity of the condition and misdiagnose the patient’s medical condition.

 
Some of the mistakes commonly made during the diagnosis of a heart attack include:

Failure to diagnose a heart attack in younger patients  According to the New England Journal of medicine, 1 in 50 heart attacks are incorrectly diagnosed and the patient is sent home. Women are 7 times more likely to have their heart attack misdiagnosed than men [1] A normal ECG does not always rule out a heart attack. One study showed that up to 23% of misdiagnosed heart attacks were due to the improper reading of a patient’s ECG.

The proper diagnosis of a heart attack can often be difficult due to the non-specific nature of some symptoms. Nevertheless, careful and attentive consideration of all factors is critical to the patient’s survival and recovery. A doctor may fail to properly assess:

The age of the patient

Heath condition history

Medical History and Drug history

Patient Lifestyle 

Smoking

Menopause

Always consult your doctor before stopping any medication.

If you suspect that you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice, act quickly. Consult one of our Pittsburgh medical malpractice lawyers immediately to review your case and make an important step in taking control of your situation.