When we think of dangerous misdiagnosis cases, we may not think of atrial fibrillation (or A-fib).  However, anytime a healthcare provider fails to diagnose any condition, it could be Oregon medical malpractice.  This particularly includes A-Fib, which is a condition of the heart.  Undiagnosed cases of A-Fib can result in serious and permanent damage to a person’s hearth.  Not only can this be potentially damaging, but it could cause or contribute to a person’s wrongful death.  This means that the misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of A-Fib could be disastrous.  Call our Oregon A-Fib medical malpractice lawyers to learn how you can recover compensation under Oregon law for A-Fib misdiagnoses, delayed diagnoses, or when A-Fib is undiagnosed.

What is A-Fib?

Atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib, is an irregular heartbeat which affects all four chambers of your heart.  These chambers are supposed to beat in unison to pump oxygenated blood into and through your heart to be re-distributed throughout your body.  However, A-Fib is a condition which affects these four chambers by making them beat out of unison.  This irregular pattern results in the heart fluttering, shaking, skipping a beat, stop beating, beating faster, or completely erratically beating.  

Because of this, blood does not flow properly through the heart.  This creates an oxygen deprivation for some parts of the body.  It could also result in clots of blood forming in the heart.  As a result, the heart has to pump harder and faster to distribute oxygen throughout the body.  It could also distribute those dangerous blood clots which could cause a blockage.  

By itself, A-Fib does not commonly cause death.  However, untreated or mistreated A-Fib can absolutely contribute to the death of a person.  In fact, the CDC reports that A-fib is a cause or contribution to an estimated 130,000 deaths each year in the United States.  This is why a healthcare provider needs to timely and accurately identify, treat, and monitor a patient with A-Fib.

Causes of Misdiagnosing A-Fib Due to Oregon Medical Malpractice

There are many reasons why A-Fib is misdiagnosed.  Our Oregon A-Fib medical malpractice lawyers know that many of these reasons are due to reckless, careless, and downright negligent care of a healthcare provider.  Damage from A-Fib can take years to form which means many of missed opportunities for healthcare providers to timely and aggressively treat A-fib.  Unfortunately, many healthcare providers create multiple errors and mistakes when treating patients who may have A-Fib which results in serious personal injuries.

The most common causes of misdiagnosing A-Fib due to Oregon medical malpractice include the following:

• Failing to listen to patient complaints;
• Failing to refer the patient to a specialists;
• Ordering the wrong diagnostic tests;
• Misdiagnosing A-Fib as another condition;
• Delaying in treating A-Fib;
• Misinterpreting test results;
• Healthcare provider inexperience;
• Treating A-Fib incorrectly and without the right medical care;
• Medications errors;
• Mixing up the patient; and
• Other common causes.

Dangers of Misdiagnosing A-Fib or Failing to Diagnose A-Fib

A-Fib itself is not the cause of death, rather it contributes to many different possible mechanisms to cause permanent damage or wrongful death of a patient.  The dangers of A-Fib most obviously include overworking a patient’s heart.  This is because of the irregular heartbeats which force the heart to work faster and harder to get the same amount of oxygenated blood around the body.  As a result, the heart can damage itself and “exhaust” itself into a condition known as heart failure.  A patient with heart failure is in trouble because it usually requires surgical intervention and even a heart transplant.  However, this is not always possible because a patient needs to be a candidate for the transplant and there must be a matching donor.

In addition, undiagnosed A-Fib creates enhanced risks for patients for other activities or surgeries.  If the heart is not properly functioning, it could result in unexpected complications during surgery with perfusion.  Athletes may also not be able to sustain themselves if their heart is not functioning, which could cause serious complications during physical exercise including a heart attack.

Bend/Portland, Oregon A-Fib Medical Malpractice Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.