Common mistakes made by cardiologists

Many Pittsburgh residents will need to visit the cardiologist at some point in their lives. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans and cardiologists are valuable members of the medical community. But, cardiologists can face medical malpractice lawsuits for a number of reasons including the failure to diagnose a medical condition.

The Doctors Company, a physician-owned medical malpractice insurance company, analyzed the results of cardiology closed claims to determine the nature of the medical malpractice claim. They listed five of the most common reasons patients sue their cardiologists. The first on the list is a diagnosis error. This can be the failure to diagnose a condition, a delay in diagnosing a condition or thee wrong diagnosis being given.

Next is not managing the treatment correctly. This can be ordering a stress test for a patient who suffered a heart attack during the procedure and other examples. Third is improperly performing a procedure such as hematomas, punctured iliac artery and other examples.

Fourth is not performing a surgery correctly. This includes surgical errors caused during a cardiac surgery. And, the final reason for a cardiologist to face a medical malpractice claim is not properly managing a patient’s medication. This often means that a cardiologist does not properly manage a patient’s anticoagulant medication which can lead to a stroke, along with other medication errors.

When a patient suffers a worsened condition or delayed treatment because of a doctor failing to diagnose their condition or other medical mistake they can feel angry and confused about what happened. No one expects to be the victim of medical malpractice, but it happens to thousands of patient across the United States each year. A legal professional skilled in medical malpractice can help a family determine what happened. They can review medical records, consult with medical experts and get the answers a family deserves. If the injury was caused by a negligent medical provider, they can hold them responsible. Compensation may be available for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages.

There can be many reasons why a cardiologist would face a medical malpractice lawsuit. Cardiologists, while important members of the medical community, should be held accountable if they make a mistake.

Source: thedoctors.com, “Cardiology closed claims study,” accessed on Feb. 15, 2016