Every year in the United States, seven million people seek care in a hospital emergency department for chest pain or discomfort that is indicative of a heart attack. Of the patients who do have an acute cardiac ischemia (ACI), roughly twenty six thousand are discharged by mistake from the emergency room annually, even though there are plenty of tests and information available to properly diagnose and treat ACIs. If you or someone you know has experienced harm because a heart attack was not properly diagnosed, it is important that you contact an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice as soon as possible.
A heart attack, clinically referred to as acute cardiac ischemia (ACI), is a decline in the supply of blood to the heart muscle. ACI is used to classify not only a heart attack, but also unstable angina pectoris that can be a contributing factor to a heart attack. Even with advancing medical technology, these conditions can be some of the most difficult to properly diagnose and predict, even for highly trained medical professionals. This can lead to a misdiagnosis of a heart attack or a lack of a diagnosis, which can then cause a patient to be discharged prematurely without adequate treatment. Patients with ACI who are not admitted to the hospital for proper treatment are nearly twice as likely to die, as those who are promptly admitted, diagnosed, and treated.
The symptoms of a heart attack can be somewhat vague, which can make it all the more difficult to form a proper diagnosis. Both men and women are susceptible to heart attacks and many start of quite slowly with just mild discomfort or slight pain. In fact, many patients are not really sure what is wrong, and symptoms can come and go regularly. Even patients who have suffered a previous heart attack may not be able to recognize symptoms of another heart attack because the symptoms could be completely different. Because of this issue, it is important to learn the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack, which include the following:
Discomfort in the Chest – this can include pain, pressure, a feeling of fullness, or a squeezing sensation that typically occurs in the center of the chest and last longer than a few minutes. This discomfort could also go away and return later.
Difficulty Breathing – this can happen at the same time as the discomfort in the chest, but can also happen before any discomfort is experienced.
Areas of Discomfort in the Upper Body – this can be experienced in the upper back, the stomach, one or both arms, the jaw, and/or the neck.
Various Other Symptoms – these symptoms can include many other symptoms, some of which can be somewhat vague. Common symptoms include a feeling of light headedness, becoming nauseous, and breaking out in a cold sweat.
In order to better protect and help patients, there have been a number of medical industry changes that work to reduce the potential to improperly diagnose or fail to diagnose a heart attack. Today, a number of technologies are available to physicians and emergency room staff to assist patients. Those who use the following tools during the first hour a heart attack is suspected provide their patients with a much higher survival rate and a much better chance at making a full recovery.
ACI-TIPI (acute cardiac ischemia – time insensitive predictive instrument) software: when this software is run at the same time as a conventional computerized electrocardiograph, the number of missed heart attack diagnoses decreases and unnecessary hospitalizations are also prevented. A recent study that looked into the effectiveness of ACI-TIPI software used in an emergency room setting found that the rate of heart attack diagnosis failures fell from approximately thirty one percent to just over two percent.
Thrombolytic Therapy: This type of therapy is used to dissolve blood clots and is typically administered in the first hour following a heart attack. When done at this time the patient's rate of survival increases a great deal.
Cardiac Sestamibi Scan: This is a type of imaging test that is non invasive. The scan works by injecting a patient with a radioactive technetium compound that is then bound to the sestamibi chemical compound; this material then flows through the heart and is visually monitored. A cardiac sestamibi scan gives doctors that ability to see how well the heart is able to pump as well as determine how much blood is flowing to the heart muscle. When this type of scan is available in the emergency room, medical professionals are better able to rule in or out a suspected ACI, or heart attack.
Unfortunately, there are times when even when the best technology is available that doctors and medical staff still make mistakes and overlook the signs of a heart attack. When this happens a form of medical negligence or malpractice has occurred and serious complications can arise. Patients who had or are having a heart attack and are discharged without proper treatment face a great potential for death as well as permanent damage that can have devastating consequences. These types of mistakes should not continue to happen, and when they do, those responsible need to be held accountable for their actions.
Your best course of action if you or someone you know has been a victim is to contact a personal injury attorney who specializes in the area of medical negligence and malpractice as soon as possible following your ordeal. These professionals know the ins and outs of this area of the law extremely well and will work hard to get you and your family the justice that you deserve.
Because these cases can be quite complex, it is not recommended that you attempt to file on your own without professional assistance. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, which means you pay nothing until the time your case settles. This benefit gives injured parties a great deal of comfort, with very little to lose, and so much to gain.
A heart attack, clinically referred to as acute cardiac ischemia (ACI), is a decline in the supply of blood to the heart muscle. ACI is used to classify not only a heart attack, but also unstable angina pectoris that can be a contributing factor to a heart attack. Even with advancing medical technology, these conditions can be some of the most difficult to properly diagnose and predict, even for highly trained medical professionals. This can lead to a misdiagnosis of a heart attack or a lack of a diagnosis, which can then cause a patient to be discharged prematurely without adequate treatment. Patients with ACI who are not admitted to the hospital for proper treatment are nearly twice as likely to die, as those who are promptly admitted, diagnosed, and treated.
The symptoms of a heart attack can be somewhat vague, which can make it all the more difficult to form a proper diagnosis. Both men and women are susceptible to heart attacks and many start of quite slowly with just mild discomfort or slight pain. In fact, many patients are not really sure what is wrong, and symptoms can come and go regularly. Even patients who have suffered a previous heart attack may not be able to recognize symptoms of another heart attack because the symptoms could be completely different. Because of this issue, it is important to learn the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack, which include the following:
Discomfort in the Chest – this can include pain, pressure, a feeling of fullness, or a squeezing sensation that typically occurs in the center of the chest and last longer than a few minutes. This discomfort could also go away and return later.
Difficulty Breathing – this can happen at the same time as the discomfort in the chest, but can also happen before any discomfort is experienced.
Areas of Discomfort in the Upper Body – this can be experienced in the upper back, the stomach, one or both arms, the jaw, and/or the neck.
Various Other Symptoms – these symptoms can include many other symptoms, some of which can be somewhat vague. Common symptoms include a feeling of light headedness, becoming nauseous, and breaking out in a cold sweat.
In order to better protect and help patients, there have been a number of medical industry changes that work to reduce the potential to improperly diagnose or fail to diagnose a heart attack. Today, a number of technologies are available to physicians and emergency room staff to assist patients. Those who use the following tools during the first hour a heart attack is suspected provide their patients with a much higher survival rate and a much better chance at making a full recovery.
ACI-TIPI (acute cardiac ischemia – time insensitive predictive instrument) software: when this software is run at the same time as a conventional computerized electrocardiograph, the number of missed heart attack diagnoses decreases and unnecessary hospitalizations are also prevented. A recent study that looked into the effectiveness of ACI-TIPI software used in an emergency room setting found that the rate of heart attack diagnosis failures fell from approximately thirty one percent to just over two percent.
Thrombolytic Therapy: This type of therapy is used to dissolve blood clots and is typically administered in the first hour following a heart attack. When done at this time the patient's rate of survival increases a great deal.
Cardiac Sestamibi Scan: This is a type of imaging test that is non invasive. The scan works by injecting a patient with a radioactive technetium compound that is then bound to the sestamibi chemical compound; this material then flows through the heart and is visually monitored. A cardiac sestamibi scan gives doctors that ability to see how well the heart is able to pump as well as determine how much blood is flowing to the heart muscle. When this type of scan is available in the emergency room, medical professionals are better able to rule in or out a suspected ACI, or heart attack.
Unfortunately, there are times when even when the best technology is available that doctors and medical staff still make mistakes and overlook the signs of a heart attack. When this happens a form of medical negligence or malpractice has occurred and serious complications can arise. Patients who had or are having a heart attack and are discharged without proper treatment face a great potential for death as well as permanent damage that can have devastating consequences. These types of mistakes should not continue to happen, and when they do, those responsible need to be held accountable for their actions.
Your best course of action if you or someone you know has been a victim is to contact a personal injury attorney who specializes in the area of medical negligence and malpractice as soon as possible following your ordeal. These professionals know the ins and outs of this area of the law extremely well and will work hard to get you and your family the justice that you deserve.
Because these cases can be quite complex, it is not recommended that you attempt to file on your own without professional assistance. Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, which means you pay nothing until the time your case settles. This benefit gives injured parties a great deal of comfort, with very little to lose, and so much to gain.
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