Failure to Diagnose Heart Attack

Cardiology Malpractice Attorneys Guiding Chicago Residents

When you visit your doctor, you expect that he or she will properly diagnose and treat your illness. Unfortunately, many doctors miss signs of an impending heart attack. Heart attacks happen if there is a block in blood flow to the heart. Without blood, the heart cannot function. Usually, there are warning signs of a heart attack, and time is of the essence to obtain treatment. A doctor's failure to diagnose a heart attack may give rise to liability, and you should consult a Chicago cardiology malpractice lawyer if you find yourself in this situation. At Moll Law Group, our medical malpractice lawyers are available to investigate the facts of your case and review your medical records with experts to evaluate whether you should bring a claim for compensation.

Pursuing Compensation for a Failure to Diagnose a Heart Attack

Some signs of an impending heart attack that doctors should recognize include generalized pain, increased sweating, nausea, freezing of muscles, spreading pain in the chest, torso, or lower body, fatigue after working out, fainting, and blackouts. A doctor should provide a thorough check-up of a patient with these symptoms.

Unfortunately, doctors sometimes misdiagnose these symptoms as heartburn or another ailment that is not serious. A doctor should review a patient's medical history to consider whether a heart attack may be on its way. For example, a patient who has a high cholesterol level should be scrutinized for a heart attack more closely.

In order to be considered medical malpractice, a doctor's conduct must fall below the applicable standard of care. This standard is based on what other reasonable practitioners in the same specialty and faced with a similar patient would do under the same circumstances. Sometimes this standard varies depending on the patient's medical history.

For example, a different standard of care may apply when a doctor is faced with an active, otherwise healthy young woman presenting with chest pain and fainting than when a doctor is faced with a 60-year-old with chest pain, nausea, and a history of high cholesterol. In either case, however, most doctors would perform a differential diagnosis, in which they list the signs and symptoms that could be causing the patient to obtain medical care. The doctor must then consider and conduct tests as appropriate to rule out diagnoses. Sometimes a doctor’s actions falls below the standard of care in failing to list a particular diagnosis for a patient, or a doctor’s actions may fall below the standard of care in ruling out a condition. For example, a doctor might not order the appropriate tests to rule out a particular entry but rule it out anyway.

If you prevail in a medical malpractice lawsuit, you will be able to recover compensation for your injuries. These may include lost income, medical expenses, the costs of future treatment, and pain and suffering, among other examples.

Consult a Cardiology Malpractice Lawyer in the Chicago Area

If your doctor negligently failed to diagnose a heart attack, the Chicago cardiology malpractice attorneys at Moll Law Group are ready to help you pursue economic and noneconomic compensation. Our firm represents injured individuals in Wheaton, Schaumburg, Naperville, and throughout Cook County. Billions of dollars have been recovered in cases in which we have been involved. Call us at 312-462-1700 or complete our online form to schedule a free consultation with an injury lawyer.