Mortal acute coronary syndromes in selected rulings of common courts in Poland

U. Zamelska, P. Zamelski,

Abstract: Cardiology is continually increasing its life-saving and healthcare capabilities for the benefit of patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) through invasive surgical treatment methods. Nonetheless, ACS still involves the risk of death or complications related to the course of the disease itself, as well as to the imperfect nature of the treatment methods available. Frequent-ly, both civil and criminal proceedings are instigated in Poland due to failed ACS procedures. All court proceedings related to medical errors constitute a valuable source of information about the course of a specific medical case and the treatment methods applied. The study dis-cusses three cases of ACS investigated by Polish common courts, which despite treatment ended in patients’ deaths
Keywords: invasive cardiology, Acute Coronary Syndromes, Polish civil law, court judgement, medical malpractice