$1,750,000 for Failure to Diagnose a Heart Attack Leading to a Stroke
William O. Crutchlow, Esq. of Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, LLP with offices in Edison and Toms River, New Jersey recently settled a case on behalf of the estate of a man who died following a stroke related to a failure to diagnose a heart attack. Our client was a single man in his late sixties when he presented to a hospital emergency room after falling and hitting his head. An EKG showed signs of a developing heart attack which went unrecognized by the emergency room doctors. The patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for observation to ensure that his head injury did not progress. A second EKG was done in the ICU which showed more alarming signs of a progressing heart attack. The nurses and doctors in charge failed to recognize these signs and took no action to deal with the evolving cardiac emergency. Our client suffered a completed heart attack and was discharged the next day without any cardiac diagnosis or treatment. The damage to his heart led to the development of a clot in his heart that migrated to his brain where it obstructed blood flow and causing significant brain damage. The brain damage caused seizures and a progressive decline in cognitive and physical function. Our client was forced to live in a long term care facility for the last several months of his life before succumbing to his injuries. The case was prosecuted on behalf of his estate and his surviving siblings.