About 790,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. That works out to a heart attack somewhere in the United States every 40 seconds. Many people go to their local emergency room upon experiencing chest pain, the most common symptom of a heart attack. However, it may shock you to know that approximately 60,000 patients a year are seen by doctors and then released without actually receiving treatment for the heart attack.
Why Would this Happen?
In some cases, doctors misdiagnose or fail to diagnose a patient’s heart attack. This can cause the patient’s health to worsen and even result in death. If you think you or someone you love has been the victim of a missed or skewed heart attack diagnosis, call Latona Law today. We will immediately set you up with a heart attack attorney in Wilkes-Barre, PA, who will let you know if you have a case.
In the meantime, it will be helpful for you to know more information about heart attacks and how doctors can misdiagnose them.
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
Everyone’s health is unique, but the human body is also more or less a blueprint for how illnesses and other conditions occur. With that said, there are some general symptoms of heart attacks that tend to occur in everyone. It is important that you know these symptoms so you can tell if a doctor is addressing them properly when you go to the hospital.
The following are the customary signs and symptoms of a heart attack:
- Chest pain or discomfort. If the feeling you experience is not necessarily pain, it could also be a sensation of squeezing or fullness. Any of these feelings can be continuous or recurring.
- Pain in the upper body. The bodily areas can include the arms, jaw, neck, and stomach.
- Feeling weak or lightheaded.
- Shortness of breath.
Any doctor who examines a potential heart attack case must be able to recognize these symptoms and provide appropriate medical care if a heart attack has really occurred. This is because, given what causes heart attacks, the condition must be addressed immediately, or it can get worse.
Heart attacks are typically caused by the narrowing of a coronary artery, a blood vessel going to the heart. This narrowing results from a buildup of cholesterol in the artery. The condition is known as atherosclerosis. It comes about from long-term high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking.
If a blockage of a coronary artery–and, ultimately, a heart attack–is left untreated, heart tissue can die. This can cause the patient to die.
Misdiagnosed Heart Attack Lawyers
The sad fact is that doctors who are not thorough enough in their physical examinations of a patient may miss the occurrence of a heart attack. They might believe the patient is simply experiencing heartburn, an upset stomach, anxiety, gallstones, or muscle pain. Instead of quickly writing off a heart attack as any of these less serious conditions, doctors must take into account the patient’s medical history and perform the proper tests, such as an electrocardiogram, or EKG.
At Latona Law, medical malpractice is the only legal area we practice. For more than 30 years, we have been representing Pennsylvania families who have become victims of misdiagnosed heart attacks due to the negligence of their medical providers.
Contact us now if you suspect you or a loved one has suffered from a misdiagnosed heart attack. We will work with you to gather evidence, build a case, and, in the end, win you financial compensation for your medical bills and pain and suffering. Call us today at 570-825-9000 to get started on your path to justice.