Heart attacks are common medical emergencies in the United States — in fact, approximately 805,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. While heart-related emergency room visits are common, many medical professionals can misinterpret heart attack symptoms as another condition.
How Does Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Happen?
Medical workers have the responsibility to check for signs of a heart attack if a patient exhibits these symptoms, running blood tests to check for certain cardiac enzymes or ordering electrocardiogram testing. However, some medical professionals mistake atypical heart attack symptoms for anxiety, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), pneumonia, and other less serious conditions. Others may dismiss a patient’s symptoms without checking for heart attack symptoms.
These misdiagnoses can be extremely dangerous. The longer a heart attack goes untreated, heart muscle can die. When a certain amount of heart muscle dies off, the heart will fail — resulting in death or long-lasting complications.
Missouri Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations
If you want to file a medical malpractice lawsuit in Kansas City, you need to act quickly. Missouri imposes a two-year statute of limitations on medical malpractice cases. This means that you have two years from the date of the heart attack misdiagnosis to file your lawsuit; if you miss this deadline, the court will dismiss your claim.
There are a few exceptions to the statute of limitations, although they may not apply to most heart attack misdiagnosis cases. Speak to an attorney at Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet to confirm your filing deadline and secure your right to a medical malpractice trial.
