Settlement achieved for client who suffered cardiac arrest after reporting chest pain to her GP

Our clinical negligence team has recently settled a claim for a woman who suffered a cardiac arrest after reporting severe chest pain to her GP.

Our client attended a GP appointment in 2017 after experiencing severe chest pain while mowing her lawn. She advised the GP that she was worried that this could be heart related as she had a strong family history of cardiac problems. She recalls being reassured that it was probably indigestion.

Four months later, while abroad for work, she suffered a cardiac arrest on a train platform. Our client had to be resuscitated as an emergency. Fortunately, she survived, but she required cardiac and neurology treatment and suffered psychological injuries from the experience.

After investigating the claim with our client and experts in GP care and cardiology, we alleged that the GP negligently failed to request an ECG (echocardiogram), and failed to explain to our client that she needed referral to a rapid access chest pain clinic, whatever the ECG results were. We alleged that, had she understood that she needed a referral for cardiac investigations, she would have asked to have that promptly in the private sector. She would have been referred to a rapid access chest pain clinic and diagnosed with angina. Further investigations and treatment would have followed, and her cardiac arrest would have been avoided.

The defendant denied liability, alleging that she gave our client a slip of paper to arrange an ECG, and that our client booked this and subsequently cancelled it. The defendant denied that it was mandatory to explain what courses of action might be taken following the ECG, and that it was mandated to refer our client to the rapid access chest pain clinic. She also denied that our client would have attended the ECG and, if she had, argued that she would not have been diagnosed with angina and would not have avoided the cardiac arrest.

The claim was litigated and was due to proceed to trial in November 2024. However, we were able to agree a settlement three weeks before the trial was due to begin.

Victoria Johnson, who conducted the claim, said: “I can only imagine how frightening it was for my client to suffer a cardiac arrest in a public place, far away from home. She was extremely lucky to survive. This was a vigorously defended claim with compelling legal arguments on both sides. I am pleased that we managed to reach a resolution before trial. For my client, this case was never about the financial compensation. She came away from her initial appointment feeling reassured, and this was not correct. I hope that reaching a resolution to the claim allows her to feel a sense of closure after everything she has been through.”

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