Heart Attack & Stroke Misdiagnosis
New York Attorneys: Fatal Misdiagnosis and Treatment of Heart Attack and Stroke
Emergency Department Misdiagnosis and Malpractice Lawyers
Claims against hospital emergency departments frequently involve the death of an individual who went to the emergency room with symptoms of a heart attack or stroke that were ignored and the patient was sent home prematurely.
Examples of misdiagnoses that can constitute medical malpractice include:
- Failure to diagnose a heart attack in a patient with chest pain
- Failure to diagnose a cerebral aneurysm in a patient who presents with "the worst headache of my life"
- Failure to properly treat a patient with ischemic stroke
- Misdiagnosis of a heart attack as indigestion or gas
- Failure to order necessary tests to rule out heart attack or stroke and the failure to read test results promptly
If you lost a loved one because the emergency room failed to diagnose heart attack or stroke, or sent your family member home prematurely, contact the medical malpractice lawyers at Powers & Santola, LLP, in upstate New York.
Powers & Santola, LLP, is one of New York's premier medical malpractice firms. We have the experience and the resources to bring an effective case on your behalf. We have secured millions of dollars in compensation for seriously injured people. We can help you.
Symptoms of Heart Attack and Stroke
Serious injury or death may result from a misdiagnosed heart attack or delayed stroke diagnosis. Below are some of the things that should have occurred when your loved one went to the emergency room complaining of symptoms. If you suspect malpractice took place, talk with an attorney who can review the medical record and give you answers.
Proper emergency room care for a patient with symptoms of stroke includes evaluation by a physician within 10 minutes of arrival in the emergency room, and a CT scan within 25 minutes of arrival. Delays in treatment can be fatal.
Intravenous tissue plasmic activator (tPA) should be administered within 3 hours of onset of symptoms and less than 60 minutes after arrival in the emergency room (if the patient meets certain criteria). Patients who are not candidates for intravenous tPA should promptly be given an initial dose of 325 mg of aspirin.
Once the stroke or heart attack has been treated, the doctor should focus on preventing complications from occurring during the critical next few days.
Contact Us
If you were treated improperly in a New York hospital emergency room and suffered serious injury because of a stroke or heart attack misdiagnosis, talk to an experienced malpractice lawyer. Contact Powers & Santola, LLP, online or call us toll-free at 866-689-9692. We have offices in Syracuse and Albany.
