Cardiac misdiagnosis occurs with some frequemcy. Coronary artery disease is frequently thought of as being a condition limited to men. In fact, however, it is a disease that effects many women. In looking at cases of this nature it is important to recognize that the signs and symptoms that a male presents when having a heart attack may be different than the signs or symptoms that a female presents with. The classic male case includes severe, burning pain, pain radiating down the left arm, a crushing type of pain in the chest area as if an elephant is standing on the chest. Women, however, may intially present with symptoms of transient chest pain, upper abdominal pain, back pain, intense nausea, sweating and shortness of breath.
The common risk factors for coronary artery disease are age, a history of smoking, high blood pressure, serum cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a family history of heart disease. Although these factors may be the same for both men and women, the risk of coronary artery disease increases dramatically with women who have diabetes. There are a variety of tests that can and should be employed for diagnosing coronary artery disease and/or for determining whether or not the patient has suffered a heart attack:
- A blood test to measure elevated cardiac enzymes which reports positive means that a heart attack has occurred. A negative test, however, does not necessarily mean that a heart attack has not occurred or is not occurring.
- An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a snapshot of the heart’s electrical activity and can reveal injury or irregularities.
- An echocardiogram is a test that provides a picture of the heart based on sound waves and will show malfunctions in the contractions of the heart’s chambers.
- Cardiac catheterization is the best way to study arteries and to diagnose coronary artery disease. This test is performed by inserting a catheter into the vessel, dye is then injected into the arteries and is traced by X-ray showing whether any of the vessels are damaged or narrowed.
In looking at cases involving males versus females it is important to recognize the difference in signs and symptoms.
If you have been injured as a result of cardiac misdiagnosis, contact us.
