Patient Suffers Fatal Heart Attack After Discharge From Emergency Room

Case Overview

This case involves an elderly female patient with a history of high blood pressure, peripheral vascular disease, and an enlargement of her aorta who presented to the emergency room with acute onset chest pain. Prior to this, the woman had been taken off of her blood pressure medication by her family medicine doctor. The patient was transported via ambulance to the emergency room, where the woman underwent a series of tests to evaluate the cause of her chest pain. Despite her previous medical history and some concerning test results, the woman was discharged from the hospital without instructions for additional follow up. One day after being discharged from the hospital, the woman suffered a massive heart attack while at work and was pronounced dead on arrival to the hospital.