Missed heart attack leads to severe cardiac damage

With Fletchers’ ongoing support, our client is now on a clearer path toward securing the care and rehabilitation he needs after suffering a missed heart attack. Although the legal case is still ongoing, Senior Associate, Alex Haider is actively working towards securing damages that will fund the long-term care, rehabilitation, and daily support the client now relies on.  

What you’ll find in this case study:  

• Background on how the heart attack was missed by medical professionals. 

• The significant impact on the client’s health, mobility, and daily life. 

• Current medical needs, including the implanted defibrillator, LVAD and transplant requirements. 

• How the client’s personal circumstances have changed, including reliance on his partner for support. 

• The legal case being handled by Fletchers, including admissions made to date. 

• Next steps in the case and the plan to secure compensation for essential rehabilitation and care. 

Background  

Our client had a heart attack and was attended to by paramedics at his home. When the ambulance crew arrived, they failed to recognise the signs of a heart attack on the ECG and didn’t take him to the appropriate hospital in accordance with local and national guidelines.  

When they arrived at hospital, the ECG was passed onto the hospital staff, but the signs of a heart attack were not drawn to their attention.  The hospital has admitted that it then failed to carry out a further ECG within a reasonable timeframe.  

The defendants’ failures led to a critical delay before our client was transferred to the correct hospital for treatment with the result that he suffered serious myocardial damage. He needed to be fitted with an implanted defibrillator and later required cardiothoracic surgery to fit a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This device, which supports heart function, must be connected at all times to a large battery pack via a cable passing through our client’s abdomen. We have obtained supportive evidence on the consequences of the delay from a Professor of Cardiology. 

Impact 

It is our client’s case that the delay in the diagnosis and treatment of his heart attack has had a profound effect on his quality of life. His reduced cardiac output has prevented him from returning to work and he is unable to walk more than around 100 metres before needing to stop. 

Our client now requires a heart transplant, but his weight has increased due his inability to exercise so he has been prescribed weight loss medication to help him lose weight so he can then be added to the transplant waiting list. He has moved in with his partner for support and help with medications and various aspects of daily personal care. 

The case 

The case is being handled by Senior Associate, Alex Haider, in our Reading office. 

While the case remains ongoing, admissions of breach of duty have been made by one of the defendants. However, causation is denied on the basis that the admitted failures did not cause the serious myocardial damage that the client has suffered. 

The case is listed for trial in 2026, although efforts are ongoing to resolve the matter prior to trail and secure a payment of damages that will enable our client to receive the rehabilitation and care that he now desperately needs. 

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