Another Misdiagnosis which Led to Death?

From: joyce marie c. alvarez
jm_joycec@yahoo.com

Subject: Another Misdiagnosis which Led to Death?

On April 27, 2005, my mother complained that she was not feeling well and vomited. We brought her to Capitol Medical early morning. The doctors at the emergency room asked her medical history. We told them she had ischemia. The doctors gave her medicine for dizziness only and just let her lie down on the emergency bed. My husband and I were there the whole time. After a few hours, around 11 am, my mother said she was fine, (though she still looked weak), and wanted to go home. I asked the doctor if she could go home and they allowed us to go home with a diagnosis of vertigo, and just reminded us to see her doctor after a few days for follow- up.

But after a few days, my mother died.

I woke her up that Friday morning, April 29 but she didn’t wake up anymore. We were all so surprised with her sudden death because she never complained of anything except that time we brought her to Capitol which they said was just vertigo. We brought her back to Capitol that Friday morning (since it was the nearest hospital), and I saw the resident who gave that diagnosis, and you know what I told her: " You said that my mother was fine and now she's dead". In her death certificate, they wrote as cause of death: myocardial infraction. I was not able to get the resident's name but I would still remember her face. I also remembered after her death, her blood pressure was not checked before we left the hospital. Maybe, if they checked her BP or did some other tests or observed her more, maybe they could have detected something else and not just vertigo. After giving her medicine for dizziness, they just left us and did not do anything anymore.

I am not a doctor but I believe that there may have been a misdiagnosis or they didn’t care much to the patient (who was my mother) because she was just complaining of dizziness and vomiting water and they had other things to do. Its been three years but I guess your email gave me an opportunity to let you or others know especially the doctors to take time when looking into their patients and be responsible.

To the doctors, we seek for your advice because we believe in your expertise. Do not let your patients lose faith in you or the hospital where you are serving because you also carry the hospital's name whenever you treat a patient.

Joyce