Cardiac Surgery Claims
We all know that cardiac problems can be life-changing, unfortunately, things can go wrong if you have suffered a misdiagnosis of a cardiac problem, a delay in treatment or inadequate investigation all of these can result in injury or fatality. If you or a loved one have suffered substandard care in identifying and treating your cardiac problem, then you should contact us at McElhinney & Associates Solicitors and speak to one of our team in the medical negligence department, who can help you to get the answers you need.
What amounts to a cardiac negligence claim:
Cardiology refers to treating disorders of the heart. Common conditions that patients present to the hospital with include:
- High blood pressure
- Ischemic heart disease, which can include heart attack, known as myocardial infarction or angina.
- Arrhythmias which refers to abnormal heart rhythm
- Pulmonary oedema, known as heart failure
- Endocarditis which is an infection of the inner lining of the heart
- Heart valve disease
The standard of care received by cardiology patients can amount to negligence in circumstances where:
A heart attack was misdiagnosed and assumed to be indigestion or gastritis
- When dangerously high blood pressure was allowed to continue untreated which resulted in additional injuries to the patient
- Failure to identify and treat heart failure
- Failure to treat arrhythmia
Sometimes when things go wrong they can have devasting consequences if not fatal consequences, and if the patient is lucky enough to survive quite often we find that they are unable to return to work or must reduce their working capacity which has the knock on effect of serious financial consequences and difficulties for the entire family.
A typical cardiac negligence claim involves the following steps:
- We will investigate every minute detail of your case and from there we will build your case by obtaining all of your medical records, taking full witness account from you and we will consultant the best experts in their field to give an opinion on whether negligence arose in your care or treatment.
- We will contact the relevant hospital or doctor advising them that we believe there was negligence in your care and treatment and asking them to admit liability.
- We will serve proceedings on the relevant medical institution or doctor and ensure that they reply to your claim in a timely manner with full details of any defence that they wish to make.
- We will represent your claim in the courts robustly to secure the appropriate level of compensation for your injuries.
Our experience with cardiac negligence claims:
Our experienced team at McElhinney & Associates Solicitors have worked on various types of GP claims over the years ranging from the very simple to the most complex. We have developed an expertise in the area, and we know how to prepare and progress your claim to achieve the optimum level of compensation for you. The most common case we see is failure to identify a myocardial infarction (heart attack) in cases dealing with complications arising during coronary plasty and stenting.
What level of compensation will I receive for a cardiac negligence claim:
The level of compensation payable to you is directly related to the level of injury and trauma that you suffered together with the impact that the negligent treatment has had on your quality of life. Compensation is usually broken down into two parts:
- General damages. This is compensation for the pain and suffering that you have endured to date together with the likely pain and suffering that you will endure into the future.
- Special damages. These are items of expenditure and financial loss that you have incurred up to the date of the court award and possible likely future financial losses, for example the cost of any private treatment, medication, aids and appliances, loss of earnings to date, loss of earnings into the future, the cost of any ongoing care and treatment required.
How long do you have to make a claim:
Any person who wishes to pursue a claim for medical negligence through the courts must do so within 2 years of the mistake being made or 2 year that they had knowledge that a mistake was made.
If your loved one has passed then the matter proceeds as a fatal injury claim.
- A heart attack was misdiagnosed and assumed to be indigestion or gastritis
- When dangerously high blood pressure was allowed to continue untreated which resulted in additional injuries to the patient
- Failure to identify and treat heart failure
- Failure to treat arrhythmia
Sometimes when things go wrong they can have devasting consequences if not fatal consequences, and if the patient is lucky enough to survive quite often we find that they are unable to return to work or must reduce their working capacity which has the knock effect of serious financial consequences and difficulties for the entire family.
Once proceedings are issued the case can take approximately, 2-3 years to come before the courts for hearing, depending on the complexity of the case, the number of experts that are required together with the defence delivered by the healthcare provider to your claim.
Early legal assistance can be vital as the time limits for bringing an action are very strict therefore, if you believe that you have suffered as a result of substandard urology care then you may be able to make a claim for compensation against the hospital in question and we are happy to have an initial consultation with you where we will give you an initial assessment and advise you of your options.
