A pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis can have devastating consequences. A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot, often originating in the legs as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, a PE can quickly become fatal. Yet the condition is also notoriously difficult to recognize because its symptoms often resemble those of pneumonia, anxiety, heart problems, or other common illnesses.
If you or a loved one suffered serious harm after a delayed or incorrect diagnosis in Kansas City or elsewhere in Missouri or Kansas, you may be wondering whether the outcome was unavoidable or the result of medical negligence. The answer depends on whether healthcare providers followed the accepted standard of care under the circumstances.
You don’t have to navigate this alone. Call us today at (816) 421-6868 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Pulmonary embolisms can be fatal within minutes:
A PE occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the lungs, and in roughly one in four cases, sudden death is the very first symptom. - Symptoms often mimic common conditions:
Chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate can resemble anxiety, pneumonia, or a heart problem, but this overlap doesn’t excuse providers from a thorough evaluation. - Risk factors should raise suspicion:
Recent surgery, prolonged hospitalization, pregnancy, cancer treatment, and extended immobility all increase PE risk and should prompt a careful workup. - “Premature closure” is a common failure point:
Diagnostic errors often happen when a provider settles on an alternate explanation, like anxiety or acid reflux, and stops considering other causes. - Reliable tools exist to catch PE early:
D-dimer testing, ultrasound, and CT pulmonary angiography can confirm or rule out a pulmonary embolism when clinical suspicion is present. - Missouri and Kansas both impose strict filing deadlines:
Medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years, though exceptions can apply depending on the facts of your case.
Why Are Pulmonary Embolisms Often Missed?
Pulmonary embolisms can develop suddenly or after a patient experiences symptoms of a blood clot in the leg. Because the signs vary from person to person, diagnosis requires physicians to carefully evaluate symptoms, medical history, risk factors, and appropriate testing. Common symptoms include:
- Sudden shortness of breath,
- Chest pain that worsens with breathing,
- Rapid heart rate,
- Lightheadedness or fainting,
- Cough, sometimes with blood, and
- Leg pain or swelling, particularly in one leg.
Many of these symptoms overlap with more common conditions such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, panic attacks, heart attacks, or muscle strain. That overlap makes pulmonary embolism a challenging diagnosis, but it does not excuse providers from performing an appropriate evaluation when warning signs are present. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 900,000 Americans develop venous thromboembolism (DVT or PE) each year, with 60,000 to 100,000 deaths annually. In approximately one-quarter of PE cases, sudden death is the first symptom.
What Are Common Reasons for a Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis?
Not every missed diagnosis is malpractice. Medicine involves difficult judgment calls, and some conditions genuinely present in unusual ways. However, a diagnostic error may constitute negligence when a reasonably careful provider would have recognized the warning signs and taken appropriate action. Examples include:
Failure to Recognize Risk Factors
Patients are at greater risk for PE after surgery, prolonged hospitalization, trauma, pregnancy, cancer treatment, or extended periods of immobility, such as long-distance travel. A physician should consider these factors when evaluating unexplained chest pain or shortness of breath.
Failure to Order Appropriate Testing
Depending on the patient’s presentation, physicians may need to use validated clinical decision tools, order D-dimer blood testing, obtain ultrasound imaging to evaluate for DVT, or perform CT pulmonary angiography or other appropriate imaging. These tests help distinguish PE from other conditions when clinical suspicion exists.
Misinterpreting Test Results
Ordering the correct test is only part of the process of avoiding a DVT misdiagnosis. Diagnostic imaging and laboratory results must also be interpreted correctly and integrated with the patient’s symptoms. Communication failures between emergency physicians, radiologists, specialists, and nursing staff can contribute to harmful delays.
Prematurely Settling on Another Diagnosis
One of the most common causes of diagnostic error is “premature closure,” where providers stop considering alternative explanations after identifying a seemingly likely diagnosis. Patients with PE may instead be treated for anxiety, pneumonia, pleurisy, acid reflux, or heart disease while the underlying blood clot continues to worsen.
When Does a Missed Pulmonary Embolism Become Medical Malpractice?
A poor medical outcome alone does not establish negligence. Instead, medical malpractice generally requires evidence that:
- A healthcare provider owed the patient a professional duty of care,
- The provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care,
- That failure directly caused injury or death, and
- The patient suffered significant damages as a result.
For pulmonary embolism cases, these questions often require detailed review by qualified medical experts. They evaluate whether the patient’s symptoms, risk factors, vital signs, laboratory findings, and imaging should have prompted a different course of action.
Many cases involve reviewing emergency department records, ambulance reports, hospital protocols, radiology studies, nursing documentation, and follow-up care to determine exactly where the diagnostic process broke down.
How Can a Delayed Diagnosis Change the Outcome?
Time matters. When diagnosed early, pulmonary embolisms can often be treated with anticoagulant medications, clot-dissolving drugs in appropriate cases, catheter-based procedures, or surgery for severe blockages.
However, when diagnosis is delayed, or a pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis occurs, patients may suffer:
- Permanent heart or lung damage,
- Cardiac arrest,
- Chronic pulmonary hypertension,
- Extended hospitalization,
- Permanent disability, or
- Wrongful death.
The CDC notes that prompt diagnosis is essential because PE requires immediate medical attention and can become life-threatening without treatment.
Does a Blood Clot Failure to Diagnose Automatically Mean You Have a Case?
No. Even experienced physicians sometimes encounter complex presentations that make diagnosis extraordinarily difficult. The key legal question is whether competent healthcare providers, using the information available at the time, should reasonably have suspected and investigated pulmonary embolism sooner.
That analysis requires experienced legal counsel working alongside qualified medical professionals who understand both medicine and the applicable standard of care.
What Are the Medical Malpractice Laws in Missouri and Kansas?
Both Missouri and Kansas impose deadlines for filing medical malpractice claims, although the applicable rules and exceptions differ.
In Missouri, most medical malpractice claims must generally be filed within two years, subject to limited statutory exceptions.
Kansas also has specific statutes governing professional liability actions and medical malpractice procedures, including provisions addressing damages and healthcare-related losses.
Because determining the applicable deadline can be complex, particularly when a diagnosis was delayed or treatment occurred in multiple states, it is important to have the circumstances reviewed promptly.
When Questions Deserve Careful Answers
A pulmonary embolism is one of medicine’s true emergencies. While not every delayed diagnosis reflects negligence, some do result from preventable failures to recognize warning signs, order appropriate testing, or communicate critical findings.
If you are left wondering whether more could have been done, the most important step is obtaining an objective review of the medical evidence. Serious medical malpractice cases deserve a careful investigation supported by experienced attorneys and knowledgeable medical professionals who understand both medicine and the law.
For individuals and families throughout Kansas City, that means working with advocates who approach every case thoroughly and collaboratively, with the singular goal of determining what happened and whether it should have been prevented.
Investigating a PE Misdiagnosis Lawsuit
Serious diagnostic error cases require far more than a review of medical records. At Dempsey Kingsland & Osteen, potential medical malpractice claims are evaluated using a collaborative approach that includes experienced attorneys working with full-time in-house physician and nurse experts. That allows the firm to carefully analyze the medical evidence before reaching conclusions about whether the standard of care may have been violated.
Our careful, evidence-driven process reflects the firm’s longstanding commitment to representing individuals and families facing catastrophic injuries and wrongful death—not simply pursuing every unfavorable medical outcome. Since 1986, Dempsey Kingsland & Osteen has focused on serious medical malpractice cases throughout the Kansas City region and is recognized for its in-house medical team and extensive experience handling complex litigation.
Call us today at (816) 421-6868 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.
FAQ – Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis
What Is the Difference Between a DVT and a Pulmonary Embolism?
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a deep vein, most often in the leg. A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when part of that clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, where it blocks blood flow. A DVT is often the starting point, and catching it early through leg pain, swelling, or warmth can prevent it from progressing into a life-threatening PE.
Can a Pulmonary Embolism Be Misdiagnosed as a Panic Attack or Anxiety?
Yes. Sudden shortness of breath, chest tightness, rapid heart rate, and a sense of impending doom are common to both conditions, which makes this one of the more frequent misdiagnoses in emergency settings. A careful provider should still consider a patient’s risk factors, such as recent surgery, immobility, or a personal history of blood clots, before attributing these symptoms to anxiety alone.
What Role Does D-Dimer Testing Play in Ruling Out a Pulmonary Embolism?
D-dimer is a blood test that measures a substance released when a clot breaks down. A low or normal result, particularly in a patient with a low pretest probability of PE, can help rule out the condition without further imaging. However, an elevated D-dimer does not confirm a PE on its own. It typically signals the need for additional testing, such as a CT pulmonary angiogram, to reach a definitive diagnosis.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Missed Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis?
Liability depends on who was involved in the patient’s care and where the breakdown occurred. This may include an emergency room physician, a primary care doctor, a radiologist who misread imaging, or hospital staff who failed to communicate abnormal test results. In some cases, more than one provider or facility may share responsibility for a missed or delayed diagnosis.
What Should I Do If I Believe a Loved One Died From an Undiagnosed Pulmonary Embolism?
Request complete copies of the medical records from every provider and facility involved, including emergency department notes, lab results, imaging reports, and discharge paperwork. An autopsy or death certificate may also help establish the cause of death. Because these records can be difficult to obtain and claim deadlines are strict, it’s important to speak with an attorney experienced in medical malpractice as soon as possible.
How Is Compensation Calculated in a Pulmonary Embolism Misdiagnosis Case?
Compensation is based on the severity of the harm caused by the delay or misdiagnosis, not simply on the fact that an error occurred. Factors typically include past and future medical expenses, lost income, the extent of any permanent heart or lung damage, pain and suffering, and, in fatal cases, the losses suffered by surviving family members. A thorough medical review is usually necessary to establish how the outcome would have differed with a timely diagnosis.
Legal References Used to Inform This Page
To ensure the accuracy and clarity of this page, we referenced official legal and other resources during the content development process:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Impact of Blood Clots on the United States
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – About Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots)
- RSMo § 516.105 – Missouri Statute of Limitations
- K.S.A. 60-513 – Kansas Statute of Limitations
The legal team at Dempsey Kingsland Osteen works to ensure that the injured are fully compensated for their lasting injuries from medical malpractice or other negligence. We push for comprehensive damages that anticipate the long-term needs of our clients, rather than taking a quick settlement out of convenience.