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Every year, tens of thousands of people are sent home from the hospital in the middle of a heart attack. When a doctor fails to diagnose a heart attack, the result can be severe damage or even death. If you or a loved one suffered serious injury or even death due to a delayed heart attack diagnosis, you might have medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact the Philadelphia heart attack misdiagnosis lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys to discuss your rights and options.
Heart Attack Misdiagnosis?
There are a number of reasons for failure to diagnose heart attacks:
- The hospital fails to perform the proper tests
- Doctor delays performing the proper tests
- Tests are misread or read too late
- Doctor is unaware that not all heart attacks are obvious so he ignores the symptoms. Sometimes the victim only has “fullness in the chest, nausea and a general sense of not feeling well.”
Women and young people are especially likely to experience a heart attack misdiagnosis and should speak with a lawyer in Philadelphia if they wish to file a lawsuit. Women’s symptoms are often atypical. It is especially common for women’s heart attacks to be misdiagnosed as anxiety.
What Happens When a Delayed Diagnosis Occurs?
Seconds count in heart attack treatment. The longer the heart attack goes on the greater the damage is likely to be. If an artery is completely blocked, for example, drugs called thrombolytics are often provided. These drugs, however, must be given within a certain period of time, or the benefits can be outweighed by the risks. Other treatments include:
- Oxygen therapy
- Aspirin
- Nitroglycerin
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
- Other medications
- Other medical interventions
The problem is, if the heart attack is not diagnosed immediately, life saving treatments such as these will not be offered quickly and the delay can be deadly.
Get in Touch with a Philadelphia Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Attorney
If you or your loved one’s heart attack diagnosis was delayed or completely ignored, you probably suffered serious injuries as a result. Our team ould review your medical records and let you know quickly whether malpractice occurred. Don’t bear the costs and emotional pain alone. Contact our Philadelphia heart attack misdiagnosis lawyers for help, today.
