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Failure
to Diagnosis Heart Attacks
A heart attack, also known as an acute myocardial infarction
(ami), is an injury to the heart muscle which is the result
of a prolonged lack of oxygen filled blood due to a loss of
blood supply. It usually occurs when a blood clot blocks flow
of blood through a blood vessel, (coronary artery), that feeds
blood to a part of the heart muscle. When that blood flow
becomes interrupted, your heart muscle can be damaged or destroyed.
Three main things can cause an interruption of the blood flow:
a blood clot (thrombus), atherosclerosis, and coronary artery
spasm.
According to the World Health Organization, 12 million people
die each year worldwide from cardiovascular disease. It is
the leading cause of death in the United States. In this country
alone, approximately 5 million Americans suffer sudden heart
attacks each year.
Heart attacks in women, in older adults and in people with
diabetes tend to be less pronounced. In fact, some people
have no symptoms at all. Warning signs and symptoms include:
pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of your
chest, increasing episodes of chest pain, shortness of breath,
sweating, nausea and vomiting, fainting, and lightheadedness.
About half of all heart attack victims have warning signs
and symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest
predictor of an attack may be recurrent chest pain that is
triggered by exertion and relieved by rest.
Once a heart attack is suspected, the emergency room or treating
physician will usually conduct tests to confirm or rule out
a heart attack. He may also order tests to confirm the existence
of coronary artery disease (CAD). These tests may include
an EKG or ECG (electrocardiogram), cardiac enzyme laboratory
studies, EBCT (electron beam computerized tomography), an
echocardiogram, a stress test, or coronary catheterization
(an angiogram).
The goal of treatment for a heart attack is to decrease stress
on the heart and restore blood supply to the affected area.
Successful restoration of the blood supply often depends on
timely diagnosis of a heart attack. Initial treatment of a
heart attack in the emergency room may involve medications
called thrombolytics such as TPA (tissue plasminogen activator),
or clot-busting drugs, nitroglycerine, or beta blockers. Thrombolytic
therapy should be considered in patients who have had an AMI
four to six hours after the onset of chest pain, and has been
proven effective within 24 hours after onset.
In addition to medications, a patient diagnosed with a heart
attack may undergo invasive procedures such as percutaneous
transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), or coronary bypass
surgery. These procedures have their own risk factors associated
with them.
The Cochran Firm - Dallas, L.L.P.
Turtle Creek Centre, Suite 1400
3811 Turtle Creek Boulevard
Dallas, Texas
75219
phone:
214.651.4260
| fax: 214.651.4261
Edward H. Moore is Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law. Unless otherwise noted, not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
The statements and information provided on this web site are for the information of the recipient only. This site is not intended to provide legal advice and no attorney-client relationship should be deemed to arise from the receipt this page and its associated pages. |
Copyright © 2003 The Cochran Firm - Dallas, L.L.P.,
All Rights Reserved.
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