Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. is representing a client in a tragic medical malpractice lawsuit involving the wrongful death of a patient who passed away due to pulmonary embolism (PE). PE is a life-threatening condition that can often be cured with timely diagnosis and treatment.
Our client’s husband went to the emergency room with sharp chest pain while breathing, along with a cough. Vital signs revealed he was tachycardic and tachypneic—both signs of PE. Additionally, he had recently undergone orthopedic surgeries, which increased his risk of developing PE.
Despite all this, the emergency room failed to perform the appropriate tests and, instead, told the patient he had bronchitis before discharging him. Hours later, he died at home. The cause of death was determined to be pulmonary embolism.
This was an entirely avoidable tragedy. Our lawsuit seeks to compensate this young family for their horrific loss and hold the hospital accountable for their actions.
What Is Pulmonary Embolism?
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious medical condition that occurs when a blood clot becomes lodged in one of the arteries in the lungs. This blockage restricts blood flow, which can lead to severe complications, such as damage to the lung tissue, decreased oxygen levels in the blood, and strain on the heart. The clot often originates from the deep veins of the legs—a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT)—and travels to the lungs through the bloodstream.
Common symptoms of pulmonary embolism may include:
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty breathing
- Panting
- Sharp chest pain on inhalation or when straining
- Cough
- Rapid heartbeat
Prompt medical attention is crucial, as PE can be life-threatening if not treated quickly. Sadly, PE is a leading cause of preventable death in hospitals, often as a result of failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and delayed treatment or failure to treat.
How Common Is Pulmonary Embolism?
PE affects about 1 in 1,000 Americans annually. This means about 900,000 people in the U.S. suffer from PE each year, making this one of the more common types of cardiovascular disease. It is also one of the deadliest; over 200,000 deaths are attributed to blood clots each year in the U.S. Even more alarming, PE is the most common cause of preventable hospital death in trauma patients, with 100,000 patients dying from PE annually. About 25% of patients with PE experience sudden death, making rapid diagnosis and treatment crucial.
How Is Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosed?
There are several effective methods for diagnosing PE. The patient’s symptoms typically factor into which type of test is used.
Some of the most common diagnostic tests for PE include:
- D-Dimer Test: This blood test detects elevated levels of a specific substance (fibrin degradation fragments) released when a blood clot breaks down. High levels can indicate a pulmonary embolism.
- Duplex Ultrasonography: This type of ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to reveal how blood moves through the veins and arteries. This test can be used to see how fast blood is flowing and look at the structure of the veins in the legs.
- CT Pulmonary Angiography: Widely considered the gold standard for diagnosing PE, a CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) produces images of the pulmonary arteries, i.e., the blood vessels running from the heart to the lungs.
- MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify clots in the lungs by revealing areas where blood flow is delayed, reduced, or absent. This is considered an accurate method of diagnosing PE.
- V/Q Scan: VQ scans are the most common method of diagnosing PE. The test asses both airflow (ventilation) and blood flow (perfusion) in the lungs using two types of radioactive substances, one that is breathed in and one that is injected into the bloodstream.
Medical providers are responsible for using accepted diagnostic methods when patients present symptoms of PE. Failure to do so may constitute medical malpractice and could result in devastating—or even deadly—consequences.
Pulmonary Embolism Treatments
There are several different approaches to treating PE. These approaches focus on stopping further clotting, eliminating blood clots when possible, and preventing blood clots in at-risk patients.
Three of the most common treatments for pulmonary embolism include:
- Anticoagulants: Medications to prevent further clotting.
- Thrombolytics: Clot-busting drugs used in severe cases.
- Compression devices & Lifestyle Changes: To prevent clots in at-risk patients
Fast detection of PE is essential for rapid treatment. This is often critical in preventing further damage and protecting the patient's life. When medical providers fail to accurately provide timely diagnoses of PE or fail to quickly and correctly treat this condition, patients and their families suffer. These providers must be held accountable for the widespread harm resulting from such negligence.