Nearly one million people suffer a heart attack each year according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The symptoms that cause heart attacks vary greatly and unfortunately, are often misdiagnosed by doctors. But, what are the consequences? To answer that question, it’s necessary to understand the term ‘heart attack misdiagnosis.’

Hart attack misdiagnosis: defined

Heart attack misdiagnosis cases are generally cases that involve the failure to correctly diagnose and treat a heart attack. According to Jeff Milman, a California attorney who has been practicing law for over 25 years and whose practice focuses on medical negligence cases, “A heart attack is nothing more than oxygen depravation to the heart. It's also called acute myocardial ischemia and as many as 25 percent of those who suffer an acute heart attack die.”

Milman says that about one half of those deaths occur before the patient ever reaches the hospital and that the lucky ones are those that arrange to get to a hospital and be treated. He continued:

There are essentially two causes of death in a heart attack. The first is a fatal abnormal heartbeat, called an arrhythmia. The second is the failure of the heart to pump, which causes damage to the heart wall.

The risk factors for developing coronary heart disease are male gender, advanced age, elevated blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, a history of premature arteriosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries, obesity, and of course, family history.

An acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the result of a prolonged lack of oxygen to the heart muscle which can block the artery. So, when you hear that somebody underwent a bypass or they were stinted, those are ways of opening up the flow of blood.

Heart attack treatment

There are many ways to treat a heart attack. Milman explained, “One [way] is through thrombolytic therapy, where they use drugs to break up a clot. Another way is through a catheterization, or a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. There's also bypass grafting where the goal is to successfully restore the blood supply to the heart.”

“There are many symptoms of a heart attack and it’s important to understand these – especially for a patient that is being evaluated. One is obviously pain. A physician should ask about the pain's location and whether it radiates. Another is the quality of the pain – how long it’s been present, how long it lasts and what causes or relieves it.”

“You'd be surprised at how many heart attacks don’t present with this pounding chest pain we always think about running down the left arm. You can have abdominal pain and pain in your back, which may also be a sign of a heart attack. Obviously, chest pain is usually indicative of a heart attack, but it doesn’t have to be.”

If you or a loved one has been injured or died due to a heart attack misdiagnosis, contact an attorney whose practice focuses on medical negligence cases. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential. To contact a qualified attorney to discuss your situation, please click here.