According to international news reports, a hospital in New Zealand has been forced to review its procedures after a woman died from a heart condition that was initially misdiagnosed as a pulled muscle. The woman died a week after being misdiagnosed. News reports detail that the 50-year-old woman went to Gore Hospital in April 2009 complaining of chest pains. Once doctors examined the woman, they told her that she had pulled muscles and was sent on her way with pain medications.

Reports detail that only four days after she was seen by doctors for her chest pains, she was found dead eight days later by her mother. She allegedly made several trips to the hospital and to her doctor following the initial diagnosis but her condition remained undiagnosed. Following an autopsy of the woman's body, the coroner expressed that the woman's doctor acted "reasonably but incorrect". He goes on further to express, "It is regrettable that this (cardiac problem) was not diagnosed and treated on her first presentation, although I acknowledge the difficulty in such diagnosis."

Since the incident, the hospital has undergone an independent internal review of procedures and steps have been taken to "ensure greater patient safety." Experts encouraged Gore Hospital to "review its protocols to ensure clinical errors identified in the review did not happen again, and review the operation of its ECG machine to ensure it was to an appropriate standard." They also called on the hospital to look at ensuring patients with pain that could be a sign of cardiac problems to undergo a stress test within 72 hours.

Source: TV NZ "Misdiagnosis leads to woman's death" 1/25/2011