Doctors frequently misdiagnosis common ailments – those in which the patient complains of a pain here or soreness there. Heart attacks, the number one cause of death in the United States, must surely be different, right? Actually, they aren’t. In fact, misdiagnosing a heart attack is more common than you might think – but the consequences are far more serious.

Common symptoms aren’t always present

The classic presentation of a heart attack that we always hear about is called angina, which is a chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle does not get enough blood. However, according to Jeff Milman, a California attorney who has been practicing law for over 25 years and whose practice focuses on medical negligence cases, that pain does not have to be in the chest or running down that neck or arm or in the jaw. It can be in the back, elbow or shoulder. He explained some of the other symptoms that are often seen:

Generally, heart attacks are accompanied with a shortness of breath called dyspnea, which is a whole different area that physicians should ask about. It's important to find out if it occurs with rest or with slight exertion. Rarely, you'll have bluing of the skin, which they call cyanosis. There’s a whole host of other symptoms which may occur, such as cough, dizziness, which they call syncope, swelling, nausea, sweats, fever, chills and muscle pain.

The importance of proper testing

Patients who experience these symptoms may not realize that they’re having a heart attack – which is why doctors need to do proper testing. Milman explained:

The bottom line is that a physician has to correctly evaluate a patient. When a patient comes in with various symptoms, physicians are routinely taught, whether it be in the urgent care setting, the emergency room, or your doctor's office, that a differential diagnosis should be done.

That means, in order to diagnosis the most likely causes of the symptoms, there needs to be proper testing. However, we see many cases in which doctors don’t do the proper testing or misinterpret the testing that is done. For example, they’ll read an EKG (or electrocardiogram, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time) as normal, even thought it's not, or they’ll choose something on the differential diagnosis that is not lethal such as gastritis in favor of something that's more lethal.

For example, you go to the doctor and he may tell you that you’re suffering from some sort or atypical chest pain or gastritis and he doesn’t do the appropriate testing for angina – which could kill you. I've had a number of cases where the diagnosis was something other that what it was and the patient goes home and dies.

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.