North Atlanta Heart and Vascular amended complaint alleges missed stress-test ischemia before fatal cardiac arrest
The amended complaint alleges that a cardiologist did not properly supervise or interpret a nuclear stress test. His earlier EKG had shown ST-T wave changes concerning for ischemia. The stress test images later showed a large perfusion defect in his heart. He scheduled a cardiac catheterization four days later rather than sending the patient to a hospital emergency department. He also prescribed nitroglycerin “as directed,” with no documented instructions on how often to take it. Four days after that appointment, the patient’s wife found him unresponsive at home, and paramedics determined he was in cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital before the scheduled procedure could occur.
Overview
This page concerns a public amended complaint alleging that a cardiologist did not recognize ischemic changes on a nuclear stress test. He scheduled a delayed cardiac catheterization before the patient’s fatal cardiac arrest.
Chronology
The complaint alleges as follows:
- On September 13, 2022, the patient saw the cardiologist for a new-patient consultation and reported chest pain and shortness of breath with activity.
- An EKG that day was read as abnormal, with ST-T wave changes described as concerning for ischemia.
- On September 16, 2022, a medical assistant performed a nuclear stress test during which the patient reported chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.
- The stress test images showed a large, severe perfusion defect in the wall of his heart’s left ventricle.
- On September 23, 2022, the cardiologist reviewed the results and scheduled a cardiac catheterization for four days later. He also prescribed nitroglycerin “as directed,” with no documented instructions on how often to take it.
- Before the scheduled procedure, on September 27, 2022, his wife found him unresponsive. Paramedics determined he was in cardiac arrest and took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Alleged failures
The complaint alleges the following failures:
- The cardiologist did not recognize ST elevations on the stress test that appeared less than a minute after it began.
- He did not immediately transfer the patient to a hospital for further assessment after the abnormal stress test.
- He scheduled a cardiac catheterization for four days later instead of sending the patient to a hospital for the procedure sooner.
- The medical assistant did not alert a supervising cardiologist to abnormal tracings, stop the test, or confirm a cardiologist was available.
- The complaint pleads medical malpractice, ordinary negligence, respondeat superior, wrongful death, and estate claims, with an expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1.