Undiagnosed Heart Attack

The second leading cause of death in Tennessee, heart attacks, can in many instances be prevented if detected early. With cardiovascular disease affecting so many, Tennessee physicians and health care providers have an obligation to watch for signs of possible heart attack, including high blood pressure, poor nutrition, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes. These signs develop and build over time, and there are many drugs and treatments now available to prevent and slow the progress of heart disease.

While physicians cannot bear all responsibility, Nashville, Tennessee doctors occasionally make errors in judgment or treatment that result in a needless injury. If a patient enters care with symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, the Nashville doctor has a responsibility to fully consider and investigate the complaint. Your Nashville health care provider should have ordered appropriate tests to confirm or rule out the presence of a heart attack or stroke. When symptoms are minimized or mistaken for another cause, or when Nashville health care providers fail to consider all possibilities or employ professional standards of care, or when a doctor makes an error in procedure or treatment, negligence may have occurred.

If you or someone you know has suffered a stroke or heart attack and you are concerned that medical malpractice may have played a factor, you should seek the advice of an experienced Nashville malpractice attorney. The malpractice lawyers at The Higgins Firm have the medical and legal knowledge necessary to offer an accurate assessment of your situation.

Facts About Heart Attacks

Coronary disease, also called coronary heart disease, is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women. Coronary disease is caused when circulation is restricted by the coronary arteries being too narrow, often because of fatty build-up in the vessel walls. When blood does not flow freely from the heart, oxygen and nutrients cannot be provided to the body.

Yearly, about 1.1 million Americans suffer heart attacks with nearly one-half being fatal. Heart attack treatments work to unblock the constricted artery to restore blood flow and to lessen the chance of a future heart attack. The most effective heart attack treatments and procedures are thrombolytic therapy, which disintegrates blood clots, and angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery. But to be effective, heart attack treatments must be administered quickly, usually within one hour, of when heart attack symptoms begin. Unfortunately, recent studies reveal that 1 in 50 heart attacks go undiagnosed.

Conditions allowing for a heart attack often develop over many years until the an event that triggers the blockage sending the person to the hospital. Once admitted, Tennessee doctors are obligated to perform tests to determine whether a heart attack has occurred. But if physicians fail to take the time with their patients, they may not recognize the symptoms of a potentially fatal heart attack and may not perform necessary tests. Too often, irreversible injury occurs.

A negligent doctor who fails to recognize the progression of a heart attack puts the patient at risk for long-term disability (including brain damage and paralysis) and death. While these injuries are not always preventable, they are certainly traumatic and are made more so when a doctor’s diagnosis could have prevented the worst of the injuries.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, let our Nashville personal injury attorneys provide you with a free consultation. If you want an attorney you can talk to, who understands your situation and who will fight for you, contact The Higgins Firm for your free consultation, toll-free at 800.705.2121 or our Nashville lawyers’ offices online.

Contact us online or call us at 800.705.2121 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.