$1,825,000 Settlement for Failure to Properly Diagnose Cardiac Condition

In this case, Ms. Forte represented the estate and family of a 33-year-old man who was hospitalized after seeking help at the emergency room for chest pain and shortness of breath. Cardiac enzyme levels were abnormal. It was admitted by all of his healthcare providers that he had several risk factors for cardiac disease including a family history. He was seen by a cardiologist who recommended that he have a stress test, which was normal. He was diagnosed with pleurisy (inflammation of the lining of the lungs) and cleared to go on vacation out of the country. While away on vacation, he died suddenly of a heart attack. His wife, who brought this lawsuit, claimed that the cardiologist did not offer him a cardiac catheterization, a test which would have been the standard of care in this situation, and claimed that he was not informed that the stress test which he was given can be negative even when there is serious cardiac disease in a certain number of cases. The cardiologist paid his entire insurance policy of one million dollars, and the internist caring for the man in the hospital contributed the remainder to the settlement.