West Palm Beach Heart Attack Malpractice Lawyer
For most people, having a heart attack is one of the most frightening moments of their lives. No one likes the emergency room at the best of moments, and when you are having a heart attack, you are likely far from your best. You want professional, competent care – and if you do not receive it, it may be the difference between life and death.
Symptoms & Statistics
Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, across almost all age and ethnic groups, with approximately 192 deaths per 100,000 people. Approximately 11% of the entire population not institutionalized has some form of diagnosed heart disease, with 42% of nursing home residents affected. We, as a society, simply do not take care of our hearts as well as we could.
Given all this, it is one of the first things that most medical professionals look for if someone displays the appropriate symptoms. While symptoms of a heart attack can vary, there are a few that appear in most cases, as well as the symptoms of heart disease itself. They are:
- Chest pain/discomfort, usually in the center or left of the chest. It is very often not constant, and may even disappear and reappear.
- Discomfort or mild pain throughout the upper body – shoulders, neck, elbows and other joints are the worst affected.
- Shortness of breath. This may be all you experience; it is by far the most common symptom across the proverbial board.
Other possible symptoms include cold sweats, nausea, extreme fatigue and angina. Angina is worthy of special note; while it can be just as painful as a heart attack, it is not one. Instead, it is pain caused by the heart working too hard, with no other side effects.
Legal Questions
If you or a loved one has suffered a heart attack and had adverse consequences, there are two questions that need to be asked: (1) Did the doctor diagnose heart trouble at any time, or was there a failure on that score, and (2) if they did, was it timely enough to provide treatment that helped?
If the doctor failed to diagnosed the appropriate ailment, a strong case can be made for malpractice on their behalf. Heart disease is so common that the prevailing standard is to check for it almost on instinct; to fail to diagnose is often a breach of the standard of care unless it can be shown that no doctor would have diagnosed the condition.
If the doctor did diagnose the correct ailment, but did so too late, that is still, arguably, a form of negligence. While recklessness, indifference and malice are all different things, they can all lead to the same result, which is the death of the patient. Acceptable practices in hospitals and doctors’ offices are changing; while it was once acceptable to send a patient home without even doing the basics, such as taking a history, it is no longer.
A West Palm Beach Heart Attack Malpractice Lawyer Can Help
You should not have to deal with the uncertainty of illness alone. Gary Roberts & Associates is a full service law firm with medical experts on staff, and we have a long history of success in malpractice cases. We are based in West Palm Beach, and maintain flexible hours in order to serve you better. We are also able to accommodate clients who prefer to communicate in Spanish. Contact us for a free consultation today.
