Regret the Error

On October 25, 2006, USA TODAY published an article entitled “When a Heart Attack Goes Undiagnosed” regarding the emergency medical care received by James Pettry of Lafayette, Indiana, prior to his death in April 2006.
The article may have conveyed the impression that Edward Seall, an emergency room physician who treated Pettry, failed to detect or diagnose a heart attack (myocardial infarction) during Pettry’s emergency room visit the day before his death. That is not the case.
Seall ran several tests for myocardial infarction and other acute heart problems, and all of the tests were negative. Pettry was later discharged and died suddenly the next day. An autopsy requested by the Pettry family concluded that the cause of death was severe occlusive coronary atherosclerosis, or severely blocked arteries in the heart, and that there was “no evidence” of myocardial infarction or necrosis (cell and tissue death). The story could have used more precise medical terminology in defining the cause of death. Link

The above is labeled a clarification, yet it’s called an Editor’s Note on the page with the offending story. (It’s definitely more of an editor’s note.)

Thanks, Tom!

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