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In September 2009, a clinical negligence claim was settled for £150,000 after an NHS hospital failed to diagnose a serious heart condition that led to a patient's death.
The patient's care, in July 2006, was found to be flawed when it was revealed that healthcare staff failed to carry out an electrocardiogram (a test to establish electrical activity in the heart) on a patient who presented with chest pains. The NHS Trust responsible later admitted liability for the non-diagnosis of a life threatening condition known as aortic dissection and agreed that if correct diagnosis had been made, then the patient would almost certainly have received treatment which could have saved his life.
Aortic dissection in clinical negligence claims
An aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the wall of the aorta (the body's major blood vessel leading from the heart which takes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body) causes blood to flow into the separate layers of the aorta wall, forcing the layers apart.
If the layers are torn completely by the dissection then massive and rapid blood loss occurs. Ruptured aortic dissections carry an 80% mortality rate.
Typically occurring in men over the age of 50 it presents as a sudden ripping or tearing sensation in the patient's chest, but can be variable and according to experts is not an easy diagnosis to make.
Processes used to diagnose an aortic dissection include:
Failure to diagnose and claims for damages
In this clinical negligence compensation case of failure to diagnose an aortic dissection the NHS trust involved recognised its "inappropriate failure" to treat the patient and they offered their apologies for the "shortcomings" identified in the claim.
Here at YouClaim we believe that if you or a family member received substandard healthcare which ultimately led to personal injury or suffering then you should make a claim for compensation. Our medical negligence solicitors are amongst the most experienced in the country and are governed by regulations issued by the Law Society.
Whilst the complexities of clinical negligence claims preclude us from stating that you will not be charged any legal fees, we assure you that we will advise you of any charges before you commit to them and in a won case we will always reimburse you.
If you wish to discuss your treatment with a view to claiming, please call our confidential helpline now on 0800 10 757 95 or you can request a more convenient time when we can call you back. Alternatively, fill in the online claim form and we will look into your case before we call you to discuss it further. Above all, at YouClaim we are here to help.
