It came on fast. You could not catch your breath.
Maybe your chest hurt, and the pain got worse when you took a deep breath. Maybe your heart was racing. Maybe you coughed, and there was blood. Maybe you felt dizzy, or faint, or like something was deeply wrong. Maybe one of your legs was swollen, sore, or warm. You knew this was not normal.
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Article written by Brendan Lupetin, Esq. Brendan is a managing partner in the law firm of Lupetin & Unatin, a medical malpractice law firm located in Pittsburgh and serving Western Pennsylvania.
Our practice is limited to high-value catastrophic cases because that is where we can do the most for our clients and for patient safety.
So you got help. You went to the ER or to your doctor. You told them you could not breathe and that your chest hurt. And maybe they did not take it seriously enough. Maybe they called it a panic attack, anxiety, or stress. Maybe they said it was a pulled muscle, acid reflux, or just a bad chest cold. Maybe they did an EKG or a chest X-ray, said it looked fine, and sent you home. The whole time, a blood clot was blocking an artery in your lungs.
By the time someone figured it out, the damage may have been done. A pulmonary embolism can kill within hours. Maybe you survived but suffered lasting harm to your heart or lungs. Maybe you are reading this because someone you love collapsed and did not survive. And you cannot stop asking: why didn’t they catch this in time?
That question matters. A pulmonary embolism is a true emergency, and it is a leading cause of preventable death. When it is missed or treated too slowly, the harm is often catastrophic and often preventable. This article explains the warning signs that a pulmonary embolism was missed. It explains the serious harm a delay can cause. And it explains what you can do next. If any of this sounds like your story, Lupetin & Unatin is here to help.
What a Pulmonary Embolism Is, in Plain Terms
A pulmonary embolism, or PE, is a sudden blockage in an artery in your lung. It happens when a blood clot travels through the bloodstream and gets stuck in the lungs. Most of the time, the clot starts in a deep vein in the leg. That clot is called a deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. A piece of it can break off and travel up to the lungs.
When the clot blocks blood flow in the lungs, the body cannot get the oxygen it needs. As the Cleveland Clinic explains, a pulmonary embolism is a medical emergency, and it is more likely to cause death if you do not get treatment soon enough. A large clot can strain the heart and cause sudden collapse.
The key word is time. PE is common and dangerous. As the medical literature notes, most people who die from a pulmonary embolism do so within the first few hours. The good news is that PE is very treatable when it is caught fast. Doctors use blood thinners, and in severe cases clot-busting drugs or a procedure to remove the clot. Catching it early is what saves lives.
Why a Pulmonary Embolism Gets Missed
A pulmonary embolism is one of the most commonly missed emergencies. The reason is that its symptoms can look like many other things. Shortness of breath and chest pain can be blamed on anxiety, a panic attack, a muscle strain, or a chest cold. So a busy provider may land on a less serious answer and stop looking.
But doctors are trained to recognize PE and to test for it. The clues are shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with breathing, a fast heart rate, and signs of a clot in the leg. When PE is possible, the standard of care often calls for a blood test called a D-dimer, and an imaging test called a CT pulmonary angiogram. As the CDC explains, blood clots in the legs and lungs are a serious and often preventable medical problem that can cause disability and death. A chest X-ray alone cannot rule out a PE. When a doctor fails to suspect PE and skips the right tests, a deadly clot can be missed.
Here are the common reasons a pulmonary embolism gets missed:
- Shortness of breath and chest pain were blamed on anxiety or a panic attack.
- The symptoms were called a muscle strain, reflux, or a chest cold.
- The patient was young or healthy, so PE was not considered.
- Risk factors like recent surgery, a long trip, or birth control pills were ignored.
- Only a chest X-ray or EKG was done, which cannot rule out a PE.
- A leg clot (DVT) was missed, and then it traveled to the lungs.
Risk Factors Doctors Are Supposed to Consider
Some people are at much higher risk of a pulmonary embolism. These risk factors matter twice. They make a PE more likely. And they are supposed to raise a careful doctor’s suspicion when a patient comes in with shortness of breath or chest pain.
Common risk factors include:
- Recent surgery or hospital stay. About half of all blood clots happen during or soon after a hospital stay, when a person cannot move around much.
- Long periods of not moving. A long flight, a long car ride, bed rest, or a leg in a cast lets blood pool and clot.
- A past blood clot, or a family history of clots. This is an important warning sign.
- Cancer and cancer treatment. These raise the risk of dangerous clots.
- Birth control pills, hormone therapy, and pregnancy. Estrogen raises the risk of clotting.
- Recent injury to the leg or hip. Such as a fracture.
- Obesity, smoking, and older age. Each adds to the risk.
- Inherited clotting disorders. Such as Factor V Leiden, which make the blood clot too easily.
Here is why this matters for your case. A patient who recently had surgery, took a long trip, has cancer, or has had a clot before, and who comes in short of breath, is not a routine case. A careful doctor should think about a pulmonary embolism and order the right tests. When those clues are in the chart and the doctor still treats it as anxiety or a strain, that can be a failure to meet the standard of care.
Signs Your Pulmonary Embolism Was Missed
Below are the red flags. If you recognize several of these, it may be worth a closer look at the care that was given.
Your Shortness of Breath Was Blamed on Anxiety
Sudden shortness of breath is the most common sign of a pulmonary embolism. If you could not breathe and were told it was just anxiety or a panic attack, without the right tests, that is a major red flag.
Your Chest Pain Was Called a Muscle Strain or Reflux
PE often causes chest pain that gets worse when you breathe in. If this pain was brushed off as a pulled muscle, reflux, or a chest cold, the diagnosis may have been missed.
Your Risk Factors Were Ignored
If you recently had surgery, took a long trip, were on birth control, had cancer, or had a clot before, those facts should have shaped your care. If you came in short of breath and no one connected it to your risk factors, that may point to a missed diagnosis.
Only a Chest X-ray or EKG Was Done
A chest X-ray and an EKG cannot rule out a pulmonary embolism. The tests that find a PE are a D-dimer blood test and a CT pulmonary angiogram. If only an X-ray or EKG was done and you were sent home, a clot could have been missed.
A Leg Clot Was Missed
Many pulmonary embolisms start as a clot in the leg. Signs include a swollen, painful, warm, or red leg. If you had these signs and no one checked for a clot, a DVT may have been missed before it traveled to your lungs.
You Were Sent Home and Collapsed or Got Much Worse
This one is tragically common. You go to the ER short of breath. They send you home. Hours or days later, you collapse, or you are rushed back much worse. A proper workup might have caught the clot the first time.
You Suffered Lasting Harm
Sometimes the clearest sign that something went wrong is the outcome itself. People treated early often recover well. When treatment comes too late, the damage can be severe or fatal. The next section covers the serious harm a delay can cause.
The Serious Harm a Pulmonary Embolism Delay Can Cause
When a pulmonary embolism is not treated fast, it can block blood flow, strain the heart, and starve the body of oxygen. The longer the delay, the more harm it does. Here are the serious injuries and outcomes a missed or delayed diagnosis can cause.
Sudden death. This is the gravest risk. A large pulmonary embolism can cause sudden collapse and death, often within hours. Many people die before the diagnosis is ever made. If you lost a loved one this way, your family may have a wrongful death claim.
Heart strain and heart failure. A large clot forces the heart to work against a blockage. This can damage the heart and lead to heart failure.
Cardiac arrest. A severe PE can stop the heart, leading to brain damage or death even if the person is revived.
Low oxygen and organ damage. When the lungs cannot deliver oxygen, the brain, kidneys, and other organs can be harmed.
Lung damage and infarction. Part of the lung can die from the loss of blood flow. This is called a pulmonary infarction.
Chronic pulmonary hypertension. Some survivors develop lasting high blood pressure in the lungs, which causes shortness of breath and limits activity for life.
Future clots. Once a person has had a clot, they are at higher risk of another, sometimes requiring blood thinners for life.
Lasting disability. Many survivors are left with reduced lung and heart function and cannot return to the life they had before.
Emotional trauma. Surviving a near-fatal event, or losing a loved one to one, leaves deep wounds. Many people and families struggle with anxiety, depression, and grief for years.
Many of these outcomes share one thing in common. They often trace back to time that was lost. Time that doctors had to act, and did not use.
When a Missed Diagnosis Becomes Malpractice
Not every bad outcome is malpractice. Doctors do not have to be perfect, and a pulmonary embolism can be hard to diagnose. But doctors do have to meet a basic standard. That standard is the level of care a careful doctor would have given in the same situation.
To have a malpractice case, a few things usually need to be true. First, there was a doctor-patient relationship. Second, the care fell below the accepted standard. Third, that failure caused real harm. Fourth, the harm led to losses, such as medical bills, lost income, the loss of a loved one, or pain and suffering.
Pulmonary embolism cases often turn on a few key questions. Did the patient have warning signs like shortness of breath and chest pain? Were the risk factors considered? Were the right tests, like a D-dimer or CT scan, ordered in time? Was a leg clot missed? When the signs were there and no one acted, that delay can be the heart of a strong case. You can read more on our pulmonary embolism page and our page on the failure to prevent, diagnose, or treat pulmonary embolism. Proving it takes work, records, and the right medical experts. That is where Lupetin & Unatin comes in.
What You Should Do Now
If you think your pulmonary embolism, or that of a loved one, was missed, take these steps.
Get the medical records. You have a right to them. They hold the timeline of what happened and when. In these cases, the timing and the tests that were or were not ordered are often the whole case.
Write down what you remember. Note when the symptoms started, what they were, and what you told the doctors. Note any recent surgery, travel, or other risk factors. Note what tests were done and how long everything took. Memory fades, so do this soon.
Do not wait too long to ask questions. Every state has a deadline for filing a malpractice claim. In Pennsylvania, that deadline is usually two years. There are some exceptions, but the clock can run out fast. Acting early protects your rights.
Talk to a lawyer who knows these cases. Pulmonary embolism claims are complex. They need medical experts and a deep understanding of emergency care and how PE should be diagnosed. A general lawyer may not be the right fit. A firm focused on medical malpractice will know what to look for.
How Lupetin & Unatin Can Help
We are Lupetin & Unatin. We are a Pittsburgh medical malpractice firm. We focus on serious injury and death from medical errors. Cases involving the missed and delayed diagnosis of pulmonary embolism are part of our work. We know how these errors happen. We know how hospitals defend them. And we know how to hold them accountable.
We have handled catastrophic delayed-diagnosis and wrongful death cases. We understand how a treatable emergency can turn fatal when the warning signs are missed and the clock runs out. We know the medicine, and we know how to prove what a careful doctor should have done.
We take a small number of cases so we can give each one real attention. We work on contingency. That means you pay nothing up front. You pay nothing unless we win. There is no risk in finding out if you have a case.
You deserve answers. You deserve to know if this suffering or loss could have been prevented. A short conversation can tell you a lot.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may not know for sure on your own. That is normal. The answer is usually in the medical records. We look at what symptoms you reported, what risk factors you had, whether the doctors considered a clot, whether the right tests were ordered, and how long everything took. PE can be hard to diagnose, but the law asks what a careful doctor would have done with the same information. A careful review tells us whether the care fell below the standard. That review costs you nothing.
In most cases, the deadline in Pennsylvania is two years. For a wrongful death claim, that period generally runs from the date of death. Some exceptions can change the deadline. These rules are tricky. The safest move is to call us soon so we can protect your rights before time runs out.
Nothing up front. We work on contingency. That means we only get paid if we win money for you. There is no fee to talk with us and no fee to review your case. If we take your case and do not win, you owe us no attorney fee. This lets you seek justice without financial risk.
Reach Out Today
If any part of this article sounds like your story, please contact Lupetin & Unatin. Tell us what happened. We will listen. We will review the records. We will tell you honestly whether we think there is a case.
A pulmonary embolism can take a life in a matter of hours. A missed diagnosis can change everything. If a hospital or doctor failed you or someone you love, you have the right to seek justice. Let us help you find out what really happened.
Call Lupetin & Unatin today for a free, no-pressure review of your case.