Post heart-attack care claims

Advice and assistance from Cohen Cramer Solicitors

If a family member or loved one has died as a result of a heart attack between 2003-2013 then you may be concerned by the recent reports in the press following an article that appeared in the European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care.

The report, based upon findings by academics from Leeds University and the University College of London states that thousands of people a year are dying unnecessarily as a result of poor follow up care from the NHS following a heart attack.

It goes on to state that 6 in 7 of the 40,000 people who suffer a heart attack a year are not receiving at least one of the treatments that could reduce the risk of having a further and possibly fatal heart attack.

Based upon these figures and what they have described as “unacceptable deficit in care” there were approximately 33,000 avoidable deaths between 2003 and 2013.  These figures apply to England and Wales only.

“What we have highlighted is the unacceptable deficit in the care being given to people after they have an NSTEMI heart attack.  We calculate that roughly one patient per month per hospital in England and Wales is losing their life as a direct consequence of this deficit” [Dr Chris Gale, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Health Science at The Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (lead author of report)].

The report is based upon research compiled from data from the National Heart Attack Register to determine what treatment was received by the 389,057 cases of NSTEMI (heart attack) in 247 hospitals in England and Wales between 2003 and 2013.

The records show that 80 per cent of patients did not receive at least one of the 13 treatments or pieces of advice that are specified within the care guidelines.  Dietary advice, advice on stopping smoking and receipt of P2Y12 inhibitors and coronary angiography surgery were the most commonly missed.

This failure to adequately treat and/or provide post-care may be evidence of neglect on the part of the treating hospital to the point whereby the relatives and dependants of the deceased may be entitled to an award of damages.

Claims for negligence within the fields of cardiology and cardiovascular are rarely straightforward and require specialist knowledge and expertise.

Here at Cohen Cramer Solicitors we have the knowledge and experience to ensure that any claim is dealt with efficiently and effectively.

If you feel that you have lost someone as a result of failure to provide appropriate care or treatment following a heart attack, then please get in touch with us today.

You can contact us for your initial consultation in any of the following ways:

  • call: 0113 224 7804
  • email: mike.massen@cohencramer.co.uk
  • pop your details in the contact form at the bottom of this page and we will get straight back to you

To give you peace of mind about our fees any claim can usually be dealt with on a no win no fee basis.

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