How misdiagnoses may affect cardiac patients
Many people are aware that heart disease is one of the most common causes of death of people living in Ohio and across the rest of the country. In fact, the numbers show that heart disease occurs at the same rate among both men and women. However, even with everything doctors know about heart disease, mistakes do occur, leading to a misdiagnosis of a cardiac patient.
Where do misdiagnoses occur and by whom?
Although medical professionals have studied the area of heart diseases thoroughly, it is only through experience that they can gather further knowledge. This is especially important in terms of actually diagnosing cardiac patients properly. This is why many misdiagnoses take place in low-volume hospitals. The staff is simply not seeing enough cardiac patients to recognize the signs, and thus, errors occur. In addition, many of these low-volume hospitals may not have the proper medical equipment to test certain parts of the heart.
Women and misdiagnoses
Unfortunately, women are much likelier to be misdiagnosed or receive a delayed diagnosis. This is because many of the common symptoms of heart disease that men experience can be different in women. Women will exhibit atypical symptoms, such as fatigue, back pain and shortness of breath, to name a few. Although these are symptoms of heart disease, in a woman, these signs can indicate several other issues, so delays occur.
What can happen if a misdiagnosis occurs?
The failure to take action promptly can lead to the deterioration of a person’s life. In fact, death becomes twice as likely to be the result of a person’s stay at the hospital when medical malpractice occurs. Even if he or she does not die, the patient may experience an adverse medical outcome.
As you can see from the information above, medical malpractice among cardiac patients does occur. This is why it’s so important that you seek the services of a medical malpractice attorney as soon as you begin to experience problems with your medical treatment.