(845) 303-1000No one expects to suffer a cardiac arrest, which happens when your heart suddenly stops. Without immediate treatment, death occurs. A cardiac arrest is always a medical emergency and usually happens without warning. Someone in cardiac arrest can collapse suddenly, become unconscious, unresponsive and stop breathing. Without quick medical intervention, the likelihood of surviving a cardiac arrest drops by about 50% per minute.
Bystanders can save the lives of individuals experiencing cardiac arrest by using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Medical facilities, schools, gyms, airports, and other public spaces like shopping malls and offices usually have AEDs on-site. Those individuals who sustain injuries or lose a loved one when an AED is not available or misused can file a lawsuit to seek compensation for their damages with the help of an experienced Albany cardiac arrest malpractice lawyer.
Causes of Cardiac Arrest
Arrhythmia is a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm that causes cardiac arrest. During a cardiac arrest, the heart’s electrical system isn’t working properly and the normal steady heartbeat changes into an abnormal heart rhythm referred to as ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia.
Ventricular tachycardia occurs when the heart rate is faster than 100 beats per minute, and ventricular fibrillation is defined as an unsteady heart rate. Symptoms of ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia include sweating, disorientation, and being unable to stand. These conditions can often lead to cardiac arrest and should be treated with an AED or automated external defibrillator before the heart stops.
Medical professionals receive training in CPR and AED use and should respond first when someone shows signs of cardiac arrest. However, when they are unavailable, anyone can use an AED. A responder places the AED pads on the person’s chest, and the device delivers an electrical shock that resets the heart from an abnormal rhythm to a normal one.
Treatment by Medical Professionals
In a hospital or other medical facility, employees receive training to recognize the signs and symptoms of an abnormal heart rhythm and can intervene before a patient goes into cardiac arrest.
When cardiac arrest occurs, responders perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to manually stimulate the heart and restore a normal rhythm because the heart has stopped beating, and CPR provides the only way to restart heart activity. When the heart stops, the brain, lungs, organs, and tissues no longer receive the oxygen needed to sustain life. Recognizing and treating the condition before cardiac arrest occurs is essential for survival.
Call a Cardiac Arrest Malpractice Attorney in Albany for Help
An experienced Albany cardiac arrest malpractice lawyer can help victims recover financial compensation to pay medical bills and other expenses incurred when a cardiac arrest is misdiagnosed, not treated quickly enough, or not properly treated by doctors and other medical professionals.
When an AED is unavailable or a medical professional misdiagnoses or ignores the symptoms of a heart attack, and that failure leads to cardiac arrest, causing your injury or the death of a loved one, you have the right to pursue financial compensation.
While money cannot restore your health or bring back your loved one, it can remove the stress caused by unexpected bills and allow you to focus on healing.
Public facility owners and medical professionals have an obligation to keep others safe. When they are negligent, a knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney is on your side protecting your patient rights.
Help is nearby.
Contact our firm to schedule a confidential consultation and a free case evaluation.