FDNY Sued over Fatal Heart Case Involving Chicago Religion Professor

[News]

The lawsuit alleges that Ronald Miller was misdiagnosed by responders.

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[DwayneEMTP]

Man, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

The problem is that a diagnosis of rib pain followed by a fatal heart attack doesn't mean a misdiagnosis.

It's sure looks like it though. And they're asses are going to be hanging out for not transporting.

[Kiwiology]

Clearly something is not being reported here. Unlike in other jurisdictions where Ambulance Officers/Paramedics can leave patients at home on their own volition this is not the case in the US so he must have declined transport himself. If that is the case then he takes full onus and legal responsibility for his own healthcare, all patients are competent until proven otherwise and a competent patient always has the right to refuse treatment and/or transport so looks like another family in search of their lottery ticket.

[Just Plain Ruff]

2 years ago Had a similar situation. 43 year old male patient, rib cage pain. pain on ispiration, also had a fever. He refused transport.

He was found dead 8 hours later. Autopsy showed massive MI.

I'm waiting to get sued on this one. He adamately refused no matter what I tried to do to get him to go in. His wife tried to get him to go, his kids did to. NOTHING we did to convince him to go made any difference to him. He just refused. I told him that I would just go up the street and wait because sooner or later he was going to crash and code on us and then I could come back and drag his butt to the hospital. But he lasted till after my shift ended.

I documented the hell out of this one. I told him that I thought it was his heart and the EKG showed to me that he probably was having a heart attack. He denied the fact.

You can't make em go. No matter what you try to do.

Edited July 24, 2012 by Captain ToHellWithItAll

[DFIB]

The devil will be in the details in this case. Did he deny transport? Did they run a 12 lead? Was it an ALS unit?

Dwayne is right that there is not necessarily an misdiagnosis. I hope they can prove it in court.

[WolfmanHarris]

The nature of the job is that the plaintiff's story will always be first and loudest. The true story is rarely as dramatic or interesting and all that is remembered is that an Ambulance was called and someone died, with implied blame being on us.