Cardiology consists of 20 per cent of all acute medicine. All doctors, in whatever speciality, are involved in it and it has become an area of litigation which has dramatically increased in the last five years. Many types of problems have arisen. Should the doctor diagnose angina when the patient first presents with chest pain? Should the patient be warned of the dangers of cardiac catheterisation? Is thrombolsis safe to give to a patient who has had a stroke? These are a few of the problems which have resulted in major ...
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Cardiology consists of 20 per cent of all acute medicine. All doctors, in whatever speciality, are involved in it and it has become an area of litigation which has dramatically increased in the last five years. Many types of problems have arisen. Should the doctor diagnose angina when the patient first presents with chest pain? Should the patient be warned of the dangers of cardiac catheterisation? Is thrombolsis safe to give to a patient who has had a stroke? These are a few of the problems which have resulted in major cases and it is very difficult for the lawyer to understand these problems without an adequate background of medical cardiology. The increase in legal cases regarding cardiology is such that any lawyer dealing in medical negligence will inevitably come across this type of problem several times a year. Roger blackwood, MA BM BCh FRCP, is Consultant Cardiologist at Wexham Park and Heatherwood Hospitals' Trust, Slough, and Honorary Consultant at Hammersmith Hospital, London.
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