Go to navigation Go to content
Toll-Free: 888-333-9709
Phone: 214-346-9529
The Girards Law Firm

Q:
I had a transthoracic echocardiogram, was told I was fine, and then had a heart attack a couple of weeks later. Is this cardiology malpractice?

A:

A transthoracic echocardiogram is a common way for doctors to evaluate your heart and search for any abnormalities. They will normally look at how well your heart valves are working, the thickness of the heart wall, and the ability of your heart chambers to pump blood. If you've been suffering from various heart-related symptoms, they will search to find what is causing the trouble. This is usually a very effective way for doctors to diagnose and treat a patient, but unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. 

Generally, a cardiac sonographer will perform this ultrasound test, and a trained physician will analyze the results. If any abnormalities were missed that ultimately contributed to your heart attack, there could be one or more people at fault. The obvious and most common choice for cardiology malpractice would be the doctor that analyzed the results and misdiagnosed your condition. However, the error may have also been on the part of the cardiac sonographer, the person or people tasked with maintaining the machine and its parts, or the company that made the machine. 

The first thing you should do is obtain the results of your echocardiogram and bring them to one of the cardiology malpractice attorneys at Girards Law. We will have them properly evaluated by medical professionals to determine if your doctor missed something in the results that could have stopped your heart attack before it happened. Call us today for a free consultation at 888-897-2762.