A delayed diagnosis can have devastating consequences for the patient and the patient’s family. Outside of New Mexico, a woman is blaming a doctor for delaying the proper examination and diagnosis of her sister’s heart condition, which ultimately led to the sister’s death. The woman has filed a lawsuit for wrongful death as well as medical malpractice, citing the doctor errors that were allegedly made.
According to the claim, the patient had an enlarged heart as well as numerous other heart-related issues since 1998. She was reportedly seen by the doctor on July 26, 2006 for a rapid pulse and heart palpitations. Rather than taking an EKG right then, it is alleged that she was scheduled to undergo one three days later in his office.
Unfortunately, the woman was found unresponsive and passed away on July 29. The patient’s sister asserts that the doctor failed to perform a proper examination of her sister, including a thorough evaluation and diagnosis concerning her heart condition. She also asserts that her sister should have been hospitalized. Instead, she says that the delay in scheduling the EKG resulted in the loss of her sister’s life, and she claims that the doctor is to blame.
A delayed diagnosis by a medical professional can have dire consequences for the patient. In this instance, a family is left confronting bills for medical expenses as well as funeral and burial costs. When medical malpractice is established by competent proof, a civil court — whether in New Mexico or another jurisdiction — has the authority to enter a monetary judgment for all applicable damages that are appropriately documented.