What is a Heart Attack?
A heart attack (also called an acute myocardial infarction or MI) occurs when a blockage in the heart’s arteries reduces or completely cut off the blood supply to a portion of the heart, resulting in heart muscle damage. Doctors and emergency room staff should always be alert to the possibility that heart attack could be the cause of a patient’s visit to the emergency room. Although a common medical emergency, it is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. When a heart attack is quickly detected and treated, most patients can recover and go on to live a normal life. However, left untreated, it can easily lead to permanent disability or death. Due to emergency room malpractice, some heart attack patients are sent home undiagnosed, untreated, and at very high risk of losing their lives.
What is a Misdiagnosed Heart Attack?
In many cases, doctors and emergency room staff should be able to anticipate an imminent heart attack by taking a thorough patient history that emphasizes listening with an open mind instead of hastily attributing the patient’s presentation to a cause that is not life-threatening. This can help prevent misdiagnosed heart attacks and other serious conditions. Conducting a thorough and complete physical exam, and ordering proper testing, including electrocardiogram testing (ECG or EKG) and blood tests for certain enzymes, is also crucial. Even when a heart attack cannot be anticipated and prevented, prompt diagnosis and treatment can save a patient’s life from a misdiagnosed heart attack and/or prevent permanent injury.
Heart Attack Symptoms (Myocardial Infarction)
The symptoms should never be taken lightly or dismissed to prevent misdiagnosis of heart attacks. Although some heart attacks present with sudden, intense symptoms, in many cases only mild, gradual discomfort is experienced. It is possible it may occur without any symptoms, some common symptoms include one or more of the following:
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Pain or discomfort in any other area of the upper body, including the shoulder, arm, back, jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sweating
- Heightened anxiety or feeling of impending doom
The Importance of Timely Diagnosis in Heart Attack Cases
To prevent the life-threatening consequences of a heart attack misdiagnosis, timely diagnosis is crucial. Research shows that treatment within the first hour of symptom onset significantly reduces the chances of muscle death and scarring. This critical window of time emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to act quickly and correctly when diagnosing heart attack symptoms. The failure to do so can lead to devastating, permanent damage or even death.
Misdiagnosed Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
Doctors and emergency room staff are responsible to be careful not to misdiagnosis heart attack symptoms for symptoms of other less dangerous medical problems, such as:
- Heartburn
- Acid reflux
- Esophagitis
- Angina
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Anxiety attack
- Gallstones
- Musculoskeletal pain
How Does an Undiagnosed Heart Attack Happen?
Similarity of symptoms is not the only factor leading to heart attack misdiagnosis. The victims are often overlooked simply because they don’t fit the profile that health care professionals expect. For this reason, younger people and in women often experience heart attack misdiagnosis. Women are at a higher risk for heart attack than was once believed. Common factors leading to a misdiagnosed heart attack include:
- Failure to take a proper and thorough medical history
- Failure to perform a thorough physical examination
- Failure to consider heart attack in patients that seem healthy
- Failure to consider heart attack in younger patients
- Failure to consider heart attacks in women
- Failure to order necessary tests in a timely and emergent manner
- Delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose heart attack
- Failure to consult cardiac specialists in a timely manner
- Improper reading of EKG results
- Overreliance on EKG results
- Laboratory error
The Role of Coronary Angiography and MRI in Preventing Misdiagnosis
Advanced imaging techniques such as coronary angiography and MRI are essential tools in diagnosing heart conditions and preventing misdiagnosis. These methods allow healthcare professionals to visualize blockages and abnormalities in the heart that might not be detected through less sophisticated tests. Failing to utilize these tools can lead to a heart attack misdiagnosis and prevent patients from receiving timely and potentially life-saving treatments.
What Kinds of Damages Result Due to a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis?
If a heart attack victim does not receive proper treatment, their body could suffer permanent damage to the point of death. If the patient does survive, it’s entirely possible they might suffer from a permanent disability or even lifelong pain due to the misdiagnosis.
Additional consequences include:
- Permanent brain damage
- Readmission
- Scarring of the heart
- Muscle damage
Victims who have survived a heart attack may find their heart has weakened. It’s possible it’s no longer able to pump blood as efficiently. This makes it difficult for individuals to engage in strenuous activity as they might have prior to the heart attack.
Consequences of a Misdiagnosed Heart Attack
A misdiagnosed heart attack can result in severe long-term consequences, such as permanent muscle damage, brain damage, or even death. In addition, victims may face financial hardship due to ongoing medical expenses, readmission, or loss of income. It’s important to recognize that misdiagnosis is not limited to physical harm but can affect every aspect of life.
What To Do After a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis
Injury from a misdiagnosed heart attack (myocardial infarction) can cause sudden physical, emotional, and financial hardships for patients and their families. During this difficult time, it may be hard to consider seeking legal help, but there are time limits for taking legal action. In many cases, pursuing compensation for a misdiagnosed heart attack is necessary to ensure you receive the financial support you deserve as soon as possible.
If you or a loved one has experienced serious injury or death which you believe may have been due to the failure to prevent heart attack, or the failure to timely diagnose or treat heart attack, you may be entitled to compensation including:
- Current and future medical bills
- Current and future loss of wages
- Long-term disability
- Long-term care expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
- Burial expenses
Contact Us About a Misdiagnosed Heart Attack Case
Collectively, New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers Michael L. Weiss, Esq. and Robert E. Paarz, Esq. have presented many medical malpractice cases relating to heart attack damage to juries and have helped many families achieve substantial financial recoveries. They are committed to using their knowledge and experience to help any individual or family who has suffered a severe, permanent injury or death due to heart attack malpractice so that they may obtain fair compensation.
If you believe you or a loved one may have experienced such an injury, please contact Weiss & Paarz, P.C., today.
Heart Attack Misdiagnosis FAQs
Can anything mimic a heart attack?
Yes, several conditions can mimic the symptoms of a heart attack. These include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), where stomach acid causes chest pain, or panic attacks, which often create a feeling of intense chest pressure or palpitations. Other conditions like musculoskeletal pain, costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage), and pulmonary embolism can also cause chest pain that mimics a heart attack. It’s important to seek medical attention if you experience chest pain to rule out serious conditions.
Why do I keep thinking something is wrong with my heart?
Persistent worry about your heart, even when medical tests show no issue, could be a sign of cardiophobia, a condition characterized by an excessive fear of having a heart attack or other heart problems. Stress, anxiety disorders, or health anxiety can also make individuals hyper-aware of their heart, causing them to interpret normal bodily sensations as heart-related issues. It’s important to consult with a healthcare provider if this anxiety is affecting your quality of life, as treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help.
How to tell the difference between a heart attack and something else?
While both heart attacks and other conditions like heartburn can cause chest pain, there are key differences. Heart attacks often come with additional symptoms like pain radiating to the arm, jaw, or back, shortness of breath, sweating, or dizziness. Heartburn, on the other hand, tends to involve a burning sensation in the chest, bloating, or belching and is usually related to meals. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to seek medical attention immediately.
How can damage from heart attack be caused by medical malpractice?
Doctors and emergency room staff often fail to attribute symptoms to heart attack because they do not see the patient as someone who is likely to have one. Mistakes leading to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed heart attack include:
- Failure to take a proper and thorough medical history
- Failure to consider heart attacks in women
- Failure to perform a thorough physical examination
- Mistakenly attributing symptoms to other, less dangerous causes
- Failure to consider heart attack in patients that seem healthy
- Delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or failure to diagnose heart attack
- Failure to consider heart attacks in younger patients
- Improper reading of EKG results
- Failure to order necessary tests in a timely and emergent manner
- Overreliance on EKG results
- Laboratory error
- Failure to consult cardiac specialists in a timely manner
What are some of the conditions that heart attacks can be mistaken for?
Doctors and emergency room staff are responsible to be careful not to mistake heart attack symptoms for symptoms of other less dangerous medical problems, such as:
- Heartburn
- Acid reflux
- Esophagitis
- Angina
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
- Anxiety attack
- Gallstones
- Musculoskeletal pain
Can damage from heart attack be prevented?
Yes, sometimes damage from a heart attack can be prevented by proper and timely medical treatment. Doctors and health care professionals can detect an imminent heart attack, or properly diagnose and treat a heart attack by:
- Recognizing the warning signs, including signs of angina, a precursor to heart attack
- Taking a proper and thorough patient history
- Conducting a detailed and complete physical exam
- Avoiding an improper conclusion regarding the patient’s presentation by carefully adhering to established protocols
- Immediately performing an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)
- Performing laboratory testing in a timely manner for the presence of certain enzymes
- Promptly administering the appropriate treatment, which may include medication or emergency cardiac catheterization to improve blood flow throughout the heart
I have lost a loved one due to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed heart attack. Do I still have a case?
If you have lost a loved one due to medical malpractice you may still be entitled to compensation due to your loved one’s wrongful death.
What can I do if I am the victim of medically preventable damage from a heart attack?
If you or a loved one has experienced death or serious injury which you believe may have been because of the failure to prevent heart attack, or the failure to timely diagnose or treat a heart attack, you may be entitled to compensation including:
- Current and future loss of wages
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Long-term care expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Long-term disability
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Burial expenses
Together, New Jersey medical malpractice lawyers Michael L. Weiss, Esq. and Robert E. Paarz, Esq. have presented over 15 medical malpractice cases relating to heart attacks to juries and have helped those families achieve substantial financial recoveries. They are committed to using their experience and knowledge to help any family or individual who has suffered a severe, permanent injury or death due to medical malpractice to obtain fair compensation.