Ohio Malpractice Lawsuit Filed Over Misdiagnosed Cardiac Arrest

A medical malpractice lawsuit was filed last month against an Ohio hospital for failure to diagnose cardiac arrest and heart failure when a 62 year-old woman arrived at the hospital by ambulance with symptoms of the problems. After being discharged with a diagnosis of headaches and shortness of breath, she died later that day.

The Ohio wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the family of Eva Walker in Licking County Common Pleas Court, against Licking Memorial Hospital and Dr. Randy E. Jones, according to a report in the Newark Advocate.

The family alleges that Walker was taken to the hospital on April 13, 2009 with symptoms of cardiac arrest, but she was sent home without being admitted to the hospital on April 14, and she died the same day from cardiac arrest and chronic heart failure.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops pumping, causing blood pressure to fall dramatically. If untreated, cardiac arrest always leads to death. Most cases of cardiac arrest are determined by a lack of pulse or other signs that circulation has stopped. However, checking for a pulse frequently leads to misdiagnosis, even by healthcare professionals.

In 2000, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommended that medical personnel look for signs of circulation, but not specifically limit such checks to the pulse.

According to Resuscitation Council UK, the chances of survival for a person suffering from cardiac arrest decrease by 10% every minute the condition is not diagnosed.