On March 11, 2024, a Virginia medical malpractice wrongful death claim against a cardiologist who allegedly misread/misinterpreted the decedent’s EKG that was taken in the patient’s primary care physician’s office the day before, was reportedly settled for $1,175,000.
The patient had a medical history that included cardiac risks such as atrial fibrillation and hypertension along with a family history of heart disease. When he experienced new onset chest pain that radiated into both arms and shoulders, he sought evaluation of his symptoms by his primary care physician. In light of his patient’s concerning physical complaints, the primary care physician took an EKG that indicated that the patient was at high risk for a heart attack. Hence, the primary care physician arranged for his patient to be seen by the cardiologist the next day.
According to the Virginia medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit, the cardiologist misread/misinterpreted the EKG taken in the primary care physician’s office the prior day, and decided that the patient’s symptoms were gastrointestinal in nature. The cardiologist allegedly breached the standard of care by failing to refer the patient for immediate cardiac catheterization based on the EKG, and by failing to instruct the patient to discontinue taking Flecanide, which increases the risk of heart attack and death in patient’s with structural heart disease, according to the Virginia medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit.
The decedent had a stress echocardiogram eight days later that was technically nondiagnostic because the patient’s heart rate did not reach a diagnostic level during the test. Nonetheless, the EKG taken during the stress echocardiogram allegedly showed a left bundle branch block. The lawsuit alleged that the cardiologist advised the patient that his symptoms were not cardiac in nature and advised the patient that he should follow up with his primary care physician for a gastrointestinal issue.
The decedent suffered cardiac arrest about three weeks later while he was driving. He received treatment in the hospital for his heart attack and for an anoxic brain injury that resulted from his heart attack. Tragically, the patient did not receover and died as a result.
The Virginia medical malpractice wrongful death lawsuit was filed by his surviving spouse.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Heartburn and heart disease have one big thing in common: their classic symptoms cause discomfort in the center of the chest. Heartburn happens when acid from the stomach splashes up into the esophagus (the tube connecting the stomach to the throat) and creates a burning sensation. Insufficient blood flow to the heart’s arteries can cause angina or a heart attack, which often produces a feeling of tightness or pressure in the chest. But it’s not always easy to tell the difference … Of the over eight million emergency room visits for chest pain each year, severe heartburn (known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD) accounts for over half the cases in which actual heart problems are ruled out. But to be on the safe side, always see a doctor if you have symptoms you are unsure about, and head to the emergency room if you have other heart attack symptoms.”
If you or a loved one suffered harm as a result of medical negligence in Virginia or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find a Virginia medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Click on the “Contact Us Now” tab to the right, visit our website, or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find medical malpractice attorneys in your state who may assist you.
Turn to us when you don’t know where to turn.
