If a doctor misdiagnoses a heart attack, it can certainly be a fatal error. There have been cases where people have been sent home, perhaps being told that they are just suffering from anxiety, and they have then passed away because they were having a heart attack. They tried to seek help, but the doctor made a mistake and made their situation worse.
One thing that is concerning is that this tends to happen to women more often than it does to men. What are some of the reasons for this?
Symptoms can differ
One of the biggest issues is that the symptoms are not always the same. For men, the main symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. A man who is having severe chest pain may quickly assume that he is experiencing a heart attack and seek medical care, and the doctor who sees him will also make the same assumption.
A woman, however, may not have severe chest pain at all. She may have fatigue and shortness of breath. She could also be dealing with nausea or jaw pain. In other words, she will describe being uncomfortable, and there may be some level of chest pain as well, but it will not be the main symptom or the first thing that she describes. As a result, the doctor who is talking to her may not assume that she’s having a heart attack at all.
This can lead to mistakes where doctors diagnose people with other conditions. They may tell a woman who is having a heart attack that she’s having an anxiety attack or that she’s just having gastrointestinal problems that should go away with time. Women may also receive mild treatments for things like heartburn when that’s not at all what they are experiencing.
What are your options?
A mistake like this can lead to serious complications or even the passing of a loved one. If you believe that a doctor has made this type of error or oversight and caused significant harm, then you need to know exactly what legal steps you can take to seek proper compensation.