Articles Posted in Cardiology Errors

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Saalik Ziyad, 40, had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was received at the emergency department at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago where he was seen for sepsis and an abscess. An ECG was read as borderline, and he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

A nephrologist, Dr. Branislav Marcic, accepted the hospital admission and acted as attending physician. After undergoing a surgical incision and the draining of the abscess, Ziyad experienced decreased vital signs and lack of urine output. He also was found to have an elevated white blood count. An intensivist transferred him to a general floor where he passed away. Ziyad was a musician who was survived by his parents.

His estate sued Advocate Trinity Hospital and the intensivist, alleging medical malpractice, choosing not to treat Ziyad in the intensive care unit.
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Doe went to a medical clinic complaining of increased fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. A resident physician allegedly obtained an electrocardiogram (EKG), which was abnormal, and ordered a routine cardiology referral. The resident’s supervising physician allegedly did not see or evaluate Doe.

Four months later, Doe collapsed at home from suspected cardiac arrest. Emergency resuscitation was unsuccessful.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Doe and family alleged that the resident and attending physician chose not to recognize that the EKG findings were consistent with a third-degree heart block, in which the upper chambers of the heart loses communications with the lower chambers. This condition necessitated an urgent referral to a cardiologist for placement of a pacemaker, the plaintiff maintained.
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Ms. Doe, 70, suffered from atrial fibrillation and had two mechanical heart valves. She was prescribed Coumadin to prevent a stroke. When Dr. Roe, her treating cardiologist, recommended elective replacement of her pacemaker battery, the Coumadin was stopped five days before the procedure. It was then restarted after the surgery.

Dr. Roe placed Ms. Doe on Bactrim to prevent infection and ordered an INR test, which is the international normalized ratio blood test. The test showed a result of 3.2 – more than double the previous INR taken before the procedure. Dr. Roe allegedly ordered a repeat INR for one month later. The INR blood test tells a patient how long it takes for blood to clot. A test called prothrombin time (PT) measures how quickly the blood clots in the body.

Before the repeat INR test, Ms. Doe was taken to the hospital ER suffering from anemia. Her INR at the time was 22.8. While at the hospital, Ms. Doe coded several times and died the next day.
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Janice Ferguson-Jean, 36, was seen at the Kings County Hospital Center emergency room. After being treated there for elevated blood pressure, she was discharged and instructed to follow up at a clinic.

The following week, she was rushed back to the hospital and admitted for treatment of elevated blood pressure. After being treated for eight days, Ferguson-Jean died. She had been studying to become a teacher in the United States Virgin Islands and was survived by her husband and 12-year-old daughter.

The Ferguson-Jean family sued the hospital’s owner and operator, alleging that it chose not to diagnose and treat ischemic heart disease, which was a cause of her death. The defendant denied liability and responsibility.
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With several other physicians, cardiologist Dr. Roy Venzon attended to Laura Staib, 39. While she was in the hospital, Staib was diagnosed as having congestive heart failure, pneumonia and sepsis. She remained hospitalized until she was transferred to a long-term care facility the following month. Four days after that transfer, Staib died. She was survived by her husband and two minor children.

The Staib family sued Dr. Venzon and his practice, alleging that he chose not to properly diagnose her cardiac condition and should have prevented her transfer to the long-term care facility until she received a proper workup.

The Staib family attorneys argued that in light of Staib’s worsening condition, Dr. Venzon, the cardiologist, should have done more to determine the cause of her heart failure. The Staib family attorneys argued that a virus attacked her heart, which was the cause of her untimely death.
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Mr. Doe, in his mid-60s, was diagnosed as having severe aortic stenosis. He consulted with Dr. Roe, a cardiologist who recommended coronary angiography, ventriculography and an aortography.

While Mr. Doe was undergoing these procedures, a catheter became untangled and lodged in his heart muscle. Dr. Roe continued to inject dye through the entangled catheter, which then led to an “explosion” that ruptured Mr. Doe’s heart.

Mr. Doe suffered cardiac arrest, cardiac tamponade and shock. He died the next day. He was survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
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David Detweiler, 73, was suffering from chronic atrial fibrillation, a condition where a patient has an irregular heartbeat or a heartbeat that is faster than an acceptable rate. He also had other cardiac issues. He was a long-time patient of cardiologist Dr. Mitchell Greenspan.

Dr. Greenspan cleared Detweiler to undergo an aortobifemoral bypass to treat his aortoiliac occlusive disease. An aortobifemoral bypass is surgery to redirect blood around narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the abdomen or groin areas. The surgery is performed to increase blood flow to the legs.

A vascular surgeon did the procedure without complications. Detweiler was transferred to the hospital’s ICU in stable condition following the surgery.
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Mr. Doe, 56, had a history of hypertension and dyslipidemia. He experienced shortness of breath over a three-month period and consulted Dr. Roe’s physician assistant. The physician assistant, who was a named defendant in this case, performed an examination reported as normal. Mr. Doe then underwent an in-office EKG, which showed a normal sinus rhythm.

Mr. Doe was scheduled for a stress test and a follow-up visit approximately one month later. However, before these appointments took place, Mr. Doe suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.

Mr. Doe had worked as a part-time security guard and was survived by his wife and two adult daughters.
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James Kowher underwent a stress test after experiencing an episode of chest pain while he was sleeping. Cardiologist Dr. Sobhan Kodali interpreted the test as negative.

About nine months later, Kowher experienced repeated chest pain episodes accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea and perspiration. Additionally, these episodes were increasing in frequency and severity and continued for up to ten minutes. Kowher’s primary care physician arranged an appointment with Dr. Kodali for two days later.

Dr. Kodali ordered an EKG and diagnosed Kowher as having panic attacks before discharging him. The primary care physician subsequently referred Kowher to a gastroenterologist, whose notes stated that Kowher’s chest pain were ongoing and worsening.
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Gerald Sanford, 72, suffered from mitral valve disease. When he experienced heart palpitations, he consulted with an interventional radiologist, Dr. Amarnath Vedere. The doctor did an angiogram to examine the workings of his patient’s blood vessels; during the examination, he used an x-ray and dye.

The results of the angiogram showed a calcified lesion in the mid-segment of Sanford’s left anterior descending artery. This artery is known to be one of the most likely to be occluded. Dr. Vedere scheduled Sanford for percutaneous coronary intervention, a catheterization with a plaque-removing procedure and stent replacement.

During this procedure, Dr. Vedere attempted fourteen times to insert a guiding catheter with a stent. Sanford suffered respiratory arrest, which led to his death just a few weeks later. He was survived by his wife and teenage daughter.
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