Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., thousands of heart attacks are misdiagnosed every year. If you have suffered a heart attack misdiagnosis, you may well be a victim of medical malpractice. Since the consequences of a heart attack misdiagnosis can be catastrophic or fatal, you need the services of a highly skilled medical malpractice attorney to ensure that you are treated justly and compensated for your losses. In New Jersey, the law practice to contact is Nagel Rice LLP.
Our distinguished legal team has a long history of successful outcomes, having won more than $1 billion in settlements and verdicts. We also have a well-earned reputation for strong legal representation, compassion, and integrity. Contact us now for a free consultation so we can determine whether you have a viable case. Once you become our client, we will charge you no attorney’s fees until we recover damages.
Common Misdiagnoses of Heart Attacks
It is worth noting that misdiagnoses of heart attacks work both ways. That is, your heart attack may be misdiagnosed as indigestion or some other problem, or your jaw pain may be misdiagnosed as a heart attack.
Either way, the misdiagnosis can be dangerous because the real cause of your trouble is not being addressed. If the misdiagnosis was due to negligence, you need the legal support of one of our knowledgeable heart attack misdiagnosis attorneys to prove your claim. Whether a doctor has misidentified your heart attack as heartburn, acid reflux, angina, muscle pain, pneumonia, or a pulmonary embolism or, conversely, mistaken another condition for a heart attack, we will do everything possible to bring you the compensation you need and deserve.
Reasons for Misdiagnosis of Heart Attacks
While there is always the possibility that any healthcare professional would have made the same mistake in the same situation, heart attack misdiagnoses are often the result of medical negligence. If your heart attack was misdiagnosed, it is likely that the attending physician:
- Failed to take a comprehensive medical history or pay attention to its contents
- Performed an incomplete physical examination
- Failed to recognize symptoms of a heart attack or another medical problem
- Failed to order appropriate diagnostic tests
- Misinterpreted test results
- Failed to refer you to a cardiologist or other specialist
- Failed to follow up on your condition
Increasingly, studies show that heart attack misdiagnoses frequently occur because the patient or the patient’s symptoms do not fit the typical profile. Younger people, for example, may be misdiagnosed because doctors do not expect them to be having heart attacks, and women are misdiagnosed significantly more frequently than men because women often experience symptoms other than chest pain. To make things worse, most doctors have been taught to interpret readings based on research studies conducted on middle-aged white men.
Understanding Heart Attacks
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked or severely reduced, usually as a result of plaque (cholesterol deposits) in the coronary arteries that form a clot. The lack of blood flow deprives the heart muscle of oxygen and causes heart tissue to die.
Heart Attack Symptoms
The most common heart attack symptoms include:
- Chest pain: experienced as pressure, tightness, pain, squeezing, or aching
- Pain or discomfort that spreads to the shoulder, arm, back, neck, jaw, teeth or upper belly
- Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Shortness of breath
- Cold sweat
- Fatigue
- Nausea
Women are more likely to have their heart attack misdiagnosed because they not only are less apt to feel crushing chest pain as their primary symptom, but they are more likely to have symptoms while resting or even asleep, and more likely than men to have a heart attack triggered by emotional distress. Whether you are a man, a woman, or non-binary, the astute attorneys at Nagel Rice are well-prepared to defend your right to damages if your heart attack has been misdiagnosed.
The Serious Consequences of Heart Attack Misdiagnoses
Misdiagnosis of a heart attack can have severe or catastrophic consequences, such as:
- Muscle death and scarring of the heart
- Reduced heart function
- Permanent brain damage
- Readmission to the hospital (nearly three-quarters of misdiagnosed heart attack patients require rehospitalization after initial treatment)
- Death
Services We Provide if Medical Negligence Has Caused a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis
Though cases of medical malpractice are always overwhelming, involving as they do a betrayal of trust as well as physical, emotional, and financial repercussions, our stalwart lawyers can be relied upon to:
- Handle all communications with the opposing attorney and insurance adjusters
- Be fastidious in examining all relevant medical data
- Identify and interview all witnesses
- Check the background of the doctor to uncover any previous misconduct
- Consult with reliable medical and technical experts who can testify on your behalf
Above all, we will make your well-being our priority and fight aggressively to make sure that you receive maximum compensation.
Damages We Will Fight to Recover
If a doctor has violated their duty of care to you due to lack of attention or failing to follow standard protocols, you are entitled to whichever of the following damages pertain in your particular case:
- Medical and rehabilitation costs
- Lost income, present and future
- Extended nursing care
- Replacement services
- Psychological counseling
- Alterations to make your home accessible
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If you have lost a loved one to wrongful death as a result of a heart attack misdiagnosis, we know that no amount of money will lessen your grief. Nevertheless, we will fight tooth and nail to recover final medical costs, funeral, burial/cremation costs, and funds to compensate you for your loss of financial and emotional support.
Contact Our Experienced Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Attorneys Today
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the events that have brought you to get in touch with us, remember that we are here to offer you moral as well as legal support. We have the know-how to bring you the necessary resources to move ahead with comfort and security. Contact us now so we can begin crafting a winning strategy for your case.
Nagel Rice LLP assists clients with their heart attack misdiagnosis claims not only throughout New Jersey but also in neighboring New York and its boroughs. Our dedicated team serves clients in various counties, including Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County, and Sussex County, as well as in New York City’s boroughs, such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island.