Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Case Ends with $1.4 Million Verdict

After a two week medical malpractice trial, a Texas jury has ruled in favor of the family of Stacy Meaux, who died after doctors and nurses at Christus Hospital St. Mary misdiagnosed her heart attack.  They awarded the plaintiffs $1.4 million for their loss.

Ms. Meaux reportedly went to the hospital emergency room because she was experiencing chest pains, tightness and discomfort.  After being seen by several triage nurses and Dr. Michael Peterson, she was told that she was in no immediate danger.  She was prescribed the drug Captopril, used to treat hypertension and heart failure, given a breathing treatment and discharged.

The following day, Meaux suffered a heart attack and died.

Court documents state that two EKG’s were performed on Meaux when she was in the ER, one of which was abnormal and her family claims should have raised a red flag to doctors about her risk level.  Additionally, the family claims that hospital staff failed to take into account other obvious risk factors for Meaux, such as her age and weight and the fact that she was a smoker and suffered from diabetes.

Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose a heart attack is perhaps one of the most deadly forms of medical malpractice because it is almost always fatal to the patient.  The most common things that medical attorneys see when they are working with this type of case typically involve doctors or medical staff:

• Prematurely discharging a patient with chest pain
• Improperly interpreting EKG results
• Prescribing medication without first determining the effect it will have on the patient’s cardiovascular system

Sadly, all three of these things were present in the case of Ms. Meaux, and the results were devastating to her family.  If your loved one suffered a heart attack that you feel may have been misdiagnosed by a doctor, you may be entitled to compensation.  Contact a medical attorney to discuss your case.