Medico-Legal Topics in Emergency Cardiology.

ABSTRACT

The workup and diagnosis of cardiovascular emergencies represent the present and future risk to emergency physicians. Eliciting and documenting key details of a cardiovascular complaint, as well as following established standards for accurate and timely diagnosis of emergencies, is central to the medico-legal aspects of cardiovascular emergencies. Key elements of documentation include history, physical exam, diagnostic workup, and medical decision making. Key elements of medical malpractice include the existence of a legal duty, breach of the legal duty, causation, and presence of damages. All 4 legal elements must be present for medical malpractice to be proven in a court of law.