Can A Pulmonary Embolism Be Misdiagnosed?

Every year, about 900,000 people in the United States develop pulmonary embolisms, making them the third most common cardiovascular disease behind heart attack and stroke. When diagnosed and treated properly, most people recover with minimal lasting effects. But when the diagnosis is delayed or the proper treatment is not given quickly, death or serious injury can occur.

What Is a Pulmonary Embolism?

Pulmonary embolism, or PE, occurs when a blood clot becomes lodged in the lungs. This blockage causes a buildup of pressure in the heart and lungs, impairs breathing, causes excessive strain on the heart, and makes oxygen levels in the body drop. For around 10 percent of PE victims, death is their first symptom. Most often, symptoms develop over hours, days, or even weeks. Some common symptoms of PE include:

• shortness of breath or wheezing
• rapid breathing and/or heart rate
• sharp pain in the chest, arm, back, shoulder, neck, or jaw
• pain that gets worse when you take a deep breath
• cough
• pale or bluish-colored skin
• excessive sweating

Why Do Pulmonary Embolisms Occur?

Pulmonary embolisms can occur for many different reasons, and often, there isn’t just one identifiable cause. Several factors can put someone at a higher risk of developing PE, such as:

• long periods of inactivity (after surgery, bed rest, or prolonged travel)
• injury to a vein due to trauma or surgery
• severe varicose veins
• cardiovascular disease
• blood clotting disorders
• higher than normal levels of estrogen (hormonal-based contraception, hormone replacement therapy, or a current or recent pregnancy)
• smoking
• diabetes
• cancer
• over age 60
• obesity

How Are Pulmonary Embolisms Diagnosed and Treated?

After assessing a patient’s symptoms and risk factors, if a medical professional suspects a possible pulmonary embolism, the diagnosis can be confirmed with a blood test and/or CT scan. Sometimes, the sheer number of risk factors and severity of symptoms make PE an obvious potential diagnosis, and other times, the diagnosis isn’t suspected or tested for until the condition has become a life-threatening emergency.

Once a diagnosis has been made, the most common treatment is some type of anticoagulant (blood thinner), which works to prevent new clots from forming and stops current clots from getting bigger. This allows the body to clear the clot on its own without symptoms getting any worse. Depending on the size and location of the embolism, thrombolytics (“clot busters”) may be given to break up the clot quickly. These medications are not given routinely and are usually reserved for life-threatening emergencies because they can cause severe bleeding. If these treatments do not resolve the issue, or if a patient’s symptoms continue to get worse, the clot can be physically removed with surgery or by inserting a small balloon into the vein.

How Can a Pulmonary Embolism Be Missed?

When a pulmonary embolism isn’t identified and treated early, it’s common for patients and their families to look for someone to blame. While healthcare providers are not always at fault in these cases, negligence is always something to look into when a misdiagnosis results in catastrophic injury or death.

Sometimes, it’s obvious that malpractice has occurred. For example, if a pregnant woman is in the middle of a cross-country road trip and suddenly develops shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate, testing for a pulmonary embolism should be an obvious first step. If a provider doesn’t ask the right questions and only sees a pregnant woman panicking about the health of her baby, he might assume she’s having an anxiety attack and send her on her way. In this instance, that provider would absolutely be guilty of malpractice and could be held responsible for the harm caused by his negligence.

However, if an otherwise healthy man complained of wheezing and excessive sweating, a doctor might forgo further testing and assume it’s something less serious, like an upper respiratory infection, and send him home with antibiotics and an inhaler. In this case, there’s no reason to suspect pulmonary embolism, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a doctor who would order an immediate CT scan without additional symptoms or risk factors. If that man was left with permanent heart and lung damage from his undiagnosed PE, it would be difficult to make the argument that the doctor was negligent in his duty of care.

If you or a loved one developed a pulmonary embolism and did not receive a timely diagnosis and/or treatment, you may be entitled to compensation. Find a legal team that specializes in medical malpractice, and they’ll help you to determine if your tragedy was preventable.

Why Choose Ross Feller Casey?

The legal team at Ross Feller Casey has built a nationally recognized reputation for obtaining record-setting results for our medical malpractice clients. Our lawyers and Ivy League-trained doctors have taken on doctors, leading hospitals, and top insurance companies and won. We know what it takes to build a successful case when medical malpractice is involved, and we’re ready to put that experience to work for you. If you or a loved one has been catastrophically injured or killed after developing a pulmonary embolism and you believe that a healthcare provider’s negligence played a role, then contact us today for your free consultation. There’s no fee unless you win, so don’t delay any longer.