Heart Attack Diagnostic Errors Often Fatal

Errors in the diagnosis of heart attacks are often deadly. It is extremely important that medical providers heed the signs of heart failure. These signs are clear and well-established and there is no good reason to miss them. When they are present, the medical provider must conduct proper testing with the primary goal of ruling out a heart attack before moving to alternative diagnosis.

In medical care, and in medical malpractice cases, this is referred to as differential diagnosis. This means ruling out the worst conditions and possible outcomes first. It does not mean sending a patient home without proper testing despite the presence of the signs of heart failure.