Update on Missed MI and Willful and Wanton Negligence in Texas

Last year I wrote about a case where a physician and hospital were found guilty of negligence for missing a Myocardial Infarction (i.e., heart attack) in a patient under the willful and wanton doctrine that was created in Texas as a part of tort reform. That case was appealed by the hospital and subsequently reversed. “We hold that the evidence of deviation from the standard of care by St. Mary’s nursing staff is legally insufficient to support the jury’s finding that the willful and wanton negligence of the hospital was a proximate cause of Stacy’s death.” It looks like Texas continues to hold very stringent requirements for determining medical negligence.

 

More information can be found here: http://setexasrecord.com/news/239006-st-mary-hospital-wins-appeal-of-1-2m-jury-verdict

 

My original blog post:

Monday, September 12, 2011 Missed Myocardial Infarction Held to Constitute Willful and Wanton Negligence in Texas As a part of Tort reform in Texas, in order to find a physician providing emergency medical services　guilty of negligence, the claimant must show that the doctor acted with willful and wanton negligence. Willful and wanton negligence is defined as　gross negligence. Plaintiffs must prove that ER doctors acted with conscious indifference, or gross negligence, rather than simple negligence. This is extremely difficult to prove and is one of the primary reasons for the decrease in medical malpractice cases against emergency medicine physicians in Texas. However, recently a Texas court held a hospital liable for willful and wanton negligence for a missed MI. This is a rare precedent in Texas since the enactment of Tort Reform.　 An elderly woman with history of diabetes and hypertension presented to ER with chief complaint of chest pain, chest discomfort and chest tightness. She was triaged as level 3 (low severity level), given albuterol nebulizer treatments and discharged home with a prescription for captopril. She he died at home the next day, autopsy reported that cause of death was MI (severe atherosclerotic disease was seen).　 It was later determined that during her brief stay in the ER, she had 2 EKGs done (one EKG was reported normal but the other showed a Septal Infarct). 　 The treating physician settled out of court and the hospital was found liable for negligence.　 The court found that prematurely discharging a patient with chest pain, improperly interpreting EKG results, and prescribing medication without first determining the effect it will have on the patient’s cardiovascular system constituted willful and wanton negligence (gross negligence). 　

 

More information on this case can be found here: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/St-Mary-s-found-negligent-in-ER-death-737829.php