Chicago Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Lawyer
When you or someone you love goes to a hospital with chest pain, you trust the doctors to recognize the signs of a heart attack and act fast. Missing a heart attack diagnosis, or delaying it by even a few hours, can mean catastrophic injury or death. If that happened to your family, you deserve answers. You deserve accountability. Your family deserves compensation.
At Ankin Law, “Injury Law Made Personal” isn’t a slogan. It’s how we work. Our heart attack misdiagnosis attorneys dig into ER records, EKG strips, troponin trends, nursing notes, and hospital policies to expose where the system broke down and who is responsible. We partner with top cardiology and emergency-medicine experts to prove what should have happened, and what the mistakes cost you.
Hospitals and insurers fight these cases hard. We fight harder. With decades of experience and hundreds of millions recovered for injured clients, we stand up to corporations and their lawyers so you can focus on healing and rebuilding your life.
Call (312) 600-0000 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation. No upfront fees. We only get paid if you do.
Table of Contents
What Counts as Heart Attack Misdiagnosis?
A heart attack misdiagnosis happens when medical professionals miss, minimize, or delay the diagnosis of a heart attack, or discharge a patient who should have been admitted and treated, leading to preventable harm.
Common Failures that Lead to Missed Heart Attacks
Failure to take the complaint seriously, especially in women and younger patients
Atypical symptoms (jaw pain, back pain, nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue) are too often labeled “anxiety,” “indigestion,” or “musculoskeletal,” particularly in women and younger people. Bias kills.
Inadequate workup in the ER
Skipping serial troponins, failing to repeat EKGs, or not ordering urgent cardiology consults violates basic emergency medicine standards when heart attack is on the differential.
Misreading EKGs and ignoring red flags
ST changes, new left bundle branch block, or dynamic T-wave inversions can be subtle. Missing them delays life-saving therapy.
Delay in transfer or reperfusion therapy
When PCI-capable cath lab access is delayed, or fibrinolytics aren’t considered when appropriate, heart muscle dies, and so do futures.
If your loved one was sent home and suffered a heart attack, or treatment was delayed, call (312) 600-0000. We’ll review your records and explain your options.
Do I Have a Case for Heart Attack Misdiagnosis?
Medical malpractice isn’t about a bad outcome alone. Under Illinois law, you must show the provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care and that failure caused harm. We build that proof.
How We Evaluate Your Claim
We start by evaluating the timeline, including when symptoms began, when you arrived, who examined you, what tests were ordered, what the results showed, when treatment started, and what happened next. We look at:
- ER triage notes and nurse flow sheets
- Physician H&P (history and physical), differential diagnosis, and decision-making
- EKGs and serial troponin levels
- Timelines for aspirin, nitro, heparin, beta blockers, and reperfusion
- Transfer and cath lab activation times
- Hospital policies, staffing, and escalation protocols
Evidence that Often Proves Negligence
We align the chart against what competent providers would have done.
- Failure to order or repeat EKGs/troponins despite ongoing symptoms
- Discharging a high-risk patient (age, risk factors, concerning EKG) without observation
- Ignoring abnormal labs or EKG changes
- Delays in activating the cath lab or arranging transfer
- Lack of informed decision-making or inadequate documentation
Who Can Be Liable in Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Cases?
Liability can include ER physicians, hospitalists, cardiologists, nurses, radiologists, urgent-care clinicians, EMS providers, and the hospital itself for systemic failures in staffing, policies, training, or supervision.
Deadlines Matter
Illinois has strict time limits for malpractice and wrongful death claims, with limited exceptions. The safest move is to speak with us as soon as possible so we can preserve evidence and protect your rights.
Center:
Injured by a medical provider? Check out our medical malpractice knowledge center to learn more about medical malpractice cases.
Signs and Symptoms Doctors Must Not Miss
Heart attacks don’t always look like crushing chest pain. Competent providers know this and act accordingly.
- Chest pressure, tightness, burning, or heaviness
- Pain radiating to jaw, neck, back, shoulder, or arm
- Shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness
- Unexplained fatigue, especially in women and older adults
- Sudden weakness or a “sense of doom”
- Abnormal vitals: low oxygen, low blood pressure, irregular pulse
When these symptoms appear, especially with risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, or family history, standard care dictates rapid EKGs, serial troponins, close monitoring, and cardiology involvement.
Why Women and Younger Patients Are Overlooked
Women are more likely to present with “atypical” symptoms and are disproportionately labeled with anxiety, acid reflux, or panic attacks. Younger adults and athletes may be dismissed as “low risk.” Both patterns can be deadly.
What Compensation Can You Recover in a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Claim?
A successful heart attack misdiagnosis claim can recover the full measure of losses; economic and human.
- Past and future medical bills (hospitalizations, procedures, rehab, devices, meds)
- Lost wages and reduced future earning capacity
- Home modifications, mobility aids, in-home care
- Pain, suffering, disability, and loss of normal life
- Loss of consortium for spouses
- Wrongful death damages, including loss of financial support and companionship
We present damages through medical records, life-care planners, vocational experts, economists, and powerful human stories that show a jury what was taken, and what it will cost to rebuild.
Find out what your case may be worth. Call (312) 600-0000 for a free case evaluation.
How Ankin Law Proves Heart Attack Misdiagnosis
When it comes to proving misdiagnosis, our approach is thorough, aggressive, and personal.
Step 1: Listen to your story
We start with you. We want to know what you felt, what you said, who you saw, what you were told, and how life has changed. Your voice sets the course.
Step 2: Secure and analyze the records
We obtain the complete chart: EKGs, labs, imaging, nursing notes, vitals, medication logs, telemetry, consults, and policy manuals. We build a minute-by-minute timeline.
Step 3: Consult top experts
We retain emergency physicians, cardiologists, nurses, and hospital administration experts to establish the standard of care and where it was breached.
Step 4: Calculate full damages
Working with life-care planners and economists, we project the lifetime costs and human impact to demand full accountability.
Step 5: Negotiate to maximize your recovery
Because we prepare every case for trial, insurers know we’re serious. That leverage helps drive meaningful settlements.
Step 6: Trial-ready advocacy
If the defense won’t be fair, we’ll take your case to a jury. Our courtroom experience and visual storytelling help complex medical issues make sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “misdiagnosis” vs. “delayed diagnosis”?
Misdiagnosis means the provider reached the wrong conclusion (e.g., anxiety instead of MI). Delayed diagnosis means they suspected MI too late, allowing damage to occur. Both can be malpractice if they fall below accepted standards and cause harm.
How do I know if the hospital did something wrong?
You won’t know from discharge papers alone. Our team reviews the full chart and consults experts to determine whether the standard of care was breached and if that breach caused your injury.
What if my EKG looked normal at first?
A single normal EKG doesn’t rule out heart attack. Serial EKGs and troponins are standard when symptoms persist. Sending a high-risk patient home after one normal test can be negligent.
My loved one died after being discharged. Do we have a case?
Possibly. If discharge deviated from standards, because symptoms were dismissed, testing was incomplete, or red flags were ignored, you may have a wrongful death claim. We can investigate and advise your family.
How much does it cost to hire Ankin Law?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency. There’s no fee unless we win.
How long will my case take?
It varies based on complexity, defenses, and court schedules. We move quickly to preserve evidence and push for resolution while preparing for trial from day one.
Why Choose Ankin Law for a Heart Attack Misdiagnosis Case?
When hospitals close ranks and insurers deflect blame, you need a legal team that understands medicine, law, and what this loss means for your life. At Ankin Law, we bridge those worlds with skill, compassion, and conviction. Our medical malpractice lawyers don’t just read charts. We interpret what went wrong, why it happened, and how to make it right.
We’ve spent decades earning the trust of Chicago families whose lives were shattered by medical negligence. Our success comes from the same formula time after time: deep investigation, respected medical experts, and an unwavering commitment to telling our clients’ stories with accuracy and empathy.
Deep medical understanding
Heart attack misdiagnosis cases demand more than legal experience. They require insight into how hospitals work, how emergency decisions are made, and how subtle warning signs get missed. Our attorneys collaborate with board-certified cardiologists, ER physicians, and nurses to uncover the truth buried in every record and report.
Resources to take on hospitals and insurers
These cases are complex, expensive, and fiercely defended. Ankin Law has the financial strength, expert network, and litigation resources to stand toe-to-toe with billion-dollar institutions, and keep the pressure on until justice is served.
Proven record of results
Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injury victims and grieving families across Illinois. We’re proud of our results not because of the numbers, but because of what they represent: accountability, closure, and a safer system for others.
Compassionate, client-centered representation
We understand that this isn’t just a case. It’s your life, your health, and your future. From your first call to the day your case resolves, you’ll have a dedicated team that answers your questions, keeps you informed, and treats your family with the dignity you deserve.
Transparent communication and personal access
You won’t be left wondering what’s happening with your case. We’ll explain complex medical and legal concepts in plain English, update you regularly, and make sure you understand every decision before it’s made.
No fees unless we win
We believe justice shouldn’t depend on wealth or connections. You pay nothing out of pocket when you hire our firm. We cover all costs upfront and only get paid if we recover compensation for you.