We all know that heart attacks are dangerous and that heart attacks can be deadly, but did you know that:

• It is possible to heave a heart attack without severe pain.
• The failure to diagnose heart attacks account for about 30% of medical malpractice payout. 
• 2-5% of people who have heart attacks and who go to emergency rooms are inappropriately turned away from emergency rooms.

What does this mean for you?

It means that you, and your loved ones, should know common symptoms of heart attacks and fight for thorough testing if you believe that you might be suffering from a heart attack.  If you are aggressive in your own care then may save you from an early death or disability due to the failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of a heart attack.

Approximately 435,000 women have heart attacks in the United States every year, according to the Women’s Heart Foundation. For the past 25 years, more women than men have died each year from heart disease.  Yet, women are continually underrepresented in heart attack research and are often the victims of undiagnosed or improperly treated heart attacks.

Female heart attacks are often misdiagnosed or incorrectly treated because:

• The symptoms of heart attacks are different in women than in men.  Women often experience nausea, vomiting and flu like symptoms rather than the traditional chest pain felt by men.  Doctors and hospitals do not always correctly recognize the symptoms of heart attacks in women and often dismiss their symptoms or incorrectly diagnose gastrointestinal issues.
• Emergency treatments are often delayed for female heart attack victims.
• After a woman has suffered a heart attack, she is less likely than a man to receive beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin therapies that are proven to increase the likelihood of survival.

If you, or a loved one, have suffered because of a misdiagnosed or improperly treated heart attack then you may be entitled to damages.  Contact Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer, Jon Ostroff, today for more information about your rights.