Failing to Diagnose a Heart Attack

When a doctor takes on a patient, there are several responsibilities that are immediately accepted by the physician. The Hippocratic Oath is meant to establish a necessary level of trust between doctor and patient, as well as enforce specific ethical requirements on the medical community. However, there are many instances in which a doctor may not properly catch a serious medical condition, which may in turn cause further health problems. In particular, heart attacks must be properly diagnosed when they occur to help prevent serious complications or loss of life.

Failure to diagnose is among the most serious concerns in medical malpractice cases. Without discovering the cause for a patient's pain or failing bodily functions, there are no real steps that the physicians on staff can take to help that individual. Although these doctors may attempt to reduce the patient's pain, these futile efforts, depending on the actual condition, can actually worsen the patient's health. In the case of cardiac arrest, the initial damage done to the cardiac muscle can be substantially worsened without further treatment.

Assuming the patient survives the first heart attack, a failure to address the problem with a proper diagnosis can easily set that patient up for another heart attack at a later date. Additionally, the strain on the circulatory system may be caused by another factor, such as a clot or damaged blood vessel. Without properly finding and treating these problems, the patient's health can rapidly deteriorate.

Failing to diagnose the initial heart attack may harm the patient in several ways. The weakening effect that a first cardiac event can have on the heart can be improved substantially with proper treatment and preventative measures. Without even knowing or understanding what has precisely happened, however, a doctor cannot properly assist a patient.

Understanding the Risk of Surgical Errors   What Does Medical Malpractice Law Say About Your Case?   Wrong Patient Surgery   Safety of Gastric Banding Weight-Loss Surgery in Question   Nursing Care Malpractice (Part I)