ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (HEART ATTACK)

Myocardial infarctions are common and often deadly. They usually result from a blockage of blood vessels of the heart. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort. Many cases are not diagnosed in the emergency department and this diagnostic error makes heart attack the leading cause of malpractice litigation arising in the emergency room. Because AMI is most often seen in men over the age of 45, it is often overlooked in women or younger adults. Diagnostic tests such as an electrocardiogram (EKG) may be normal, even though the patient is having a heart attack. Sometimes, AMI is misdiagnosed as gastrointestinal disorder, muskuloskeletal pain, or respiratory ailments, such as pneumonia. If an acute myocardial infarction is misdiagnosed, the patient may be discharged from the emergency room without appropriate treatment, frequently resulting in death. A study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine found that as many as 8 per cent of patients with myocardial infarction are mistakenly released from the emergency room without appropriate care.