Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis

An experienced medical professional should know the warning signs of a patient at risk of a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. They have a legal duty to identify the early symptoms, promptly perform the appropriate diagnostic tests, make a correct diagnosis, and apply emergency, life-saving treatment. Despite this legal duty of care, a clinical study reveals that an alarming 53.6% of hospitalized patients with pulmonary embolisms are misdiagnosed while under a physician’s care, and 27.5% of patients with pulmonary embolisms are misdiagnosed in emergency departments.

If you or a loved one has suffered due to a misdiagnosed pulmonary embolism, a skilled Arizona medical malpractice attorney can help you pursue justice and hold negligent healthcare providers accountable.

What Is Pulmonary Embolism?

An embolism is a blood clot, often formed as a result of damage to an artery, which triggers the blood to develop a gel-like fibrous material to stop or prevent bleeding. In some cases, this normal bodily function goes awry when the embolism breaks away from its point of origin and travels through the bloodstream. Less commonly, embolisms are formed from air bubbles (air embolisms) or consist of fat or tumor cells.

The circulatory system oxygenates blood by bringing it through the lungs. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot travels through the bloodstream to the respiratory system and lodges in the main artery of the lungs, blocking blood flow. It is a life-threatening emergency and a leading cause of death for hospitalized patients.

Pulmonary embolism most commonly arises in patients with deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot that forms in the legs

When a patient is in a doctor’s care, the medical providers tasked with their care must treat the patient according to the standard of care accepted by the medical community, including the requirement to recognize, diagnose, and treat deadly pulmonary embolisms.

Common Causes of Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolisms arise from many causes, but the most common reason they occur in hospitalized patients is due to immobility, which causes the blood to pool in the legs, increasing the chance of clot formation. Common causes of pulmonary embolism include the following:

• Prolonged immobility or bed rest
• Surgery and post-surgical recovery periods
• Medical conditions such as clotting disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or inflammatory bowel disease
• Medications, including birth control medications and hormone replacement therapeutics
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Pregnancy, C-section, and post-childbirth recovery
• Injuries or trauma to the legs or pelvis
• Long travel times that involve sitting for lengthy periods, such as overseas flights, road trips, or commercial freight driving

Age increases the risk of pulmonary embolism occurrence during long-haul travel, as a post-surgical complication, or due to prolonged immobility.

Medical providers must evaluate a patient’s individual risk factors of developing a pulmonary embolism and treat the patient appropriately, including careful monitoring, appropriate diagnostic testing, and prompt attention to symptoms.

What Are the Signs of Pulmonary Embolism?

Rarely, pulmonary embolisms occur with no warning signs or symptoms. However, in many cases, patients experience some or all of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Coughing
• Coughing up blood
• Faintness
• Weakness or lightheadedness
• Palpitations, rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Leg pain, leg swelling, or a hot feeling in the leg
• Sweatiness or clamminess
• Low blood pressure
• Fever
• Cyanosis (blue-tinged lips and fingernails)

Some people experiencing pulmonary embolism also express feelings of anxiety or dread.

Common Misdiagnoses In Pulmonary Embolism Cases

Unfortunately, the warning signs and early symptoms of pulmonary embolism may resemble other medical conditions such as viral or bacterial respiratory infections, contusions in the leg, heart failure, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), anxiety, or panic attacks, resulting in a misdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

What Tests are Required as the Standard of Care to Diagnose Pulmonary Embolism?

A medical provider must accurately assess a patient’s risk of pulmonary embolism by taking a complete medical history, recognizing symptoms, and ordering appropriate diagnostic tests such as the following:

• Chest X-rays
• Utrasound
• Electrocardiogram
• Blood tests
• Pulmonary angiography
• Lung perfusion scan
• d-Dimer
• CT angiogram
• Ventilation-perfusion scan

Failing to order proper diagnostic tests is a violation of a doctor’s duty of care, which requires all medical providers to treat patients within the medical community’s accepted care standards. Misdiagnosis may also arise if a medical provider misreads the results of a diagnostic test or when a clinician improperly performs the test. 

What Are the Complications of Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis?

Failure to promptly and accurately diagnose and treat a pulmonary embolism with life-saving measures often results in serious or catastrophic injury such as the following:

• Permanent lung damage
• Brain injury due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen)
• Organ damage due to a lack of oxygen in cells
• Death

Over a third of patients who seek help in hospital emergency rooms die before they are accurately diagnosed and treated for pulmonary embolism due to the fact that symptoms are often nonspecific or resemble other medical conditions until the embolism becomes an emergency with complete blockage of oxygenation in the lungs.

What Damages Are Available In a Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis Case In Arizona?

When a medical provider fails to identify a patient’s risk factors for pulmonary embolism and neglects to order the appropriate diagnostic tests, it is medical malpractice, leaving them liable for the damages to the patient, such as medical expenses, lost earnings, diminished quality of life due to brain injury, or wrongful death benefits to family members.

Liability In Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis Claims

Identifying the correct liable party can quickly become challenging in medical malpractice cases, often with one party pointing the finger at another. A doctor may be individually liable if a hospital does not directly employ them, but instead, they have practice privileges at the hospital. If the negligent doctor is a hospital employee, the hospital may be liable for the injury victim’s damages. 

Depending on the results of an attorney’s investigation, other medical entities could be liable, such as the clinician who incorrectly performed a diagnostic test, or a nurse who failed to properly monitor a post-surgical patient. Proving liability in medical malpractice cases, such as pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis, requires showing compelling evidence of the following:

• A doctor/patient relationship existed at the time the misdiagnosis occurred
• The provider owed a duty of care to treat the patient at the standard of care accepted by the medical community
• They violated this duty of care
• The violation directly caused the injury or fatality
• The injury victim and/or their family suffered damages from the injury

Damages in pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis claims include both the economic and non-economic consequences of the injury or death.

How Can a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Help?

Proving medical malpractice in pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis cases is challenging, requiring an investigation with access to the best medical experts and eyewitnesses. If you or a close family member suffered from a misdiagnosed pulmonary embolism, call the Arizona medical malpractice lawyers at Knapp & Roberts for experienced representation in your claim.