As many as 60,000 people each year are rushed to a hospital emergency room with heart attack symptoms only to be sent home with assurances that they are fine – and then they are diagnosed with a heart attack.
Many suffer irreparable harm and even death that could have been prevented had their symptoms been properly diagnosed and treated. Unfortunately, cases of misdiagnoses involving heart attacks are a common form of medical malpractice, and particularly among women.
If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury or death as a result of a missed or misdiagnosed heart ailment, you should call 800-243-1100 to speak with an experienced heart attack misdiagnosis attorney for a free evaluation of your case.
Kline & Specter, PC, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with more than 50 lawyers, several of whom are also highly regarded doctors (See the Doctor/Lawyer Team), is uniquely qualified to investigate and litigate potential cases of heart attack misdiagnosis. The firm has won a litany of major verdicts and settlements in medical malpractice cases. (See Major Victories) We represent victims of delayed heart attack diagnosis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and nationwide.
Successful Case
In one case tried by the firm, Shanin Specter won a $4 million verdict in Berks County for the wife of a 37-year-old man who was sent home by a doctor despite his family history of heart disease and complaints about chest pain, jaw pain, lightheadedness and anxiety. Gregory Volutza died a week later. The case was appealed and upheld by Pennsylvania Superior Court, bringing the verdict plus interest to roughly $6 million. (See the Volutza Case)
Medical Error Statistics
There are more than 1.2 million new and recurrent coronary attacks annually in the United States, with about one-third, or some 425,000, resulting in death.
And it is estimated that between 2 percent and 4 percent of patients who enter emergency rooms with acute coronary syndrome, or ACS – including myocardial infarctions or pre-infarction symptoms – are discharged without necessary treatment.
Medical error is often the cause. Among common mistakes are doctors’ failure to perform tests to rule out a heart attack and failure to investigate patient medical histories and risk factors. In some cases, test results are misread.
Symptoms of heart attack are misdiagnosed in men but even more often missed in women, who are less likely to present with “classic angina” and also more often experience acute coronary syndrome without chest pain, among other reasons.
Younger people are also more apt to experience missed heart attack diagnoses simply because doctors don’t expect younger people to have heart attacks and can bypass critical tests.
Call Today
Kline & Specter works on a contingent fee basis – which means we only get paid if and when you are financially compensated. Kline & Specter is paid a percentage of the amount recovered. Any costs incurred by Kline & Specter will only be charged if the client is financially compensated.
Call 800-243-1100 to speak with an attorney experienced in heart attack misdiagnosis lawsuits.