Atlee Hall Resolves Case Against Cardiologist

Atlee Hall recently resolved a case against a cardiologist who chose not to perform a cardiac catheterization on a 56-year-old man who complained of sharp, radiating chest pain. The patient had been transferred to that cardiologist by another doctor, who recommended that he undergo a cardiac catheterization, which is a procedure used to diagnose and treat certain cardiovascular conditions. The cardiologist who assumed care of the patient chose not to perform the cardiac catheterization, instead diagnosing him with acid reflux and discharging him. The next day, the patient returned to the hospital with complaints of chest pain. He collapsed and was noted to be in cardiac arrest. Despite various attempts to stabilize him, he unfortunately passed away.

Based on the deposition testimony of various health care providers, we were able to establish that our client’s husband had many known risk factors for coronary artery disease. When he presented to the hospital, he complained of sharp, intermittent, radiating chest pain. The first doctor was evaluated by noted his risk factors and recommended that he be transferred to another hospital to undergo cardiac catheterization.

Once the patient was transferred, however, the defendant cardiologist ignored the transferring doctor’s recommendation and instead performed a stress test. The results of the stress test were insufficient to either rule in or rule out life-threatening cardiac issues. The patient was told that he likely had acid reflux and was discharged home.

The next day, the patient returned to the hospital complaining of further chest pain. Almost immediately upon his arrival to the hospital, he suffered a massive myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest. He was taken in for an urgent cardiac catheterization (the test that should have been performed the previous day) and was found to have an occlusion of one of his coronary arteries. Despite various attempts to stabilize him, he passed away the following day.

We were able to establish through our expert cardiologist that our client’s husband suffered an otherwise preventable heart attack and died as a result of the defendant cardiologist’s negligence. Atlee Hall’s mission is to hold negligent parties accountable with the aim of preventing future tragedies.