Daniel E. Holloway
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Northside Radiology complaint alleges a misread CT angiogram missed an aortic aneurysm before a patient’s death

The complaint alleges that a radiologist misread an April 6, 2023 chest CT angiogram of a patient with chest discomfort and shortness of breath. He reported only a moderate pericardial effusion and missed a hemopericardium and an aortic aneurysm. When a cardiologist later asked if the scan showed aortic dissection, the radiologist said he saw none. The patient was later discharged with a diagnosis of pericarditis. She returned to the same emergency department on May 29, 2023, after seizures, and an echocardiogram showed findings consistent with cardiac tamponade. A physician drained fluid from around her heart, but she went into cardiac arrest and died that night. An autopsy found an ascending aortic aneurysm with a small perforation. The filing alleges the radiologist’s failure to diagnose her aortic pathology caused her death.

System
Northside Hospital
Facility
Northside Hospital-Forsyth
Providers involved
Neil Amin, M.D. / Northside Radiology Associates, LLC
Pattern
Alleged failure to identify a hemopericardium and aortic aneurysm on a chest CT angiogram and to order dedicated imaging to rule out aortic pathology
Harm
Alleged undiagnosed aortic aneurysm, cardiac tamponade, and death

Overview

This page concerns a public complaint alleging that a radiologist misread a CT angiogram and missed an aortic aneurysm before the patient’s death.

Chronology

The complaint alleges as follows:

  1. The patient went to a hospital emergency department on April 6, 2023, with chest discomfort and shortness of breath, and underwent a chest CT angiogram.
  2. The radiologist read the scan as showing no pulmonary embolism and a moderate pericardial effusion, and did not identify a hemopericardium or aortic aneurysm.
  3. A cardiologist found a large pericardial effusion and a dilated aortic root on an echocardiogram. The radiologist said he saw no signs of aortic dissection on the CT scan.
  4. The patient was transferred to a second hospital for evaluation for a possible pericardial-window procedure. A repeat echocardiogram showed the effusion had decreased, and she was discharged April 8, 2023 with pericarditis.
  5. A follow-up CT scan on May 12, 2023, showed a moderate pericardial effusion, increased since her April CT.
  6. The patient returned to the emergency department on May 29, 2023, after two seizures, and an echocardiogram showed findings consistent with cardiac tamponade.
  7. A physician drained fluid from around her heart, and the patient then went into cardiac arrest and died that night. An autopsy found an ascending aortic aneurysm with a small perforation.

Alleged failures

The complaint alleges the following failures:

  • The radiologist did not recognize that the pericardial fluid on the CT angiogram was blood, a sign of possible aortic aneurysm or dissection.
  • He did not order additional dedicated imaging to rule out aortic pathology, even though the CT angiogram protocol he used could not exclude it.
  • The filing alleges that the patient’s aortic pathology went undiagnosed and caused her death as a proximate result of the radiologist’s negligence.
  • The complaint pleads medical malpractice and wrongful death against the radiologist and his practice group, and attaches an expert affidavit under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1.

Entities and tags

Northside Radiology Associates, LLCNorthside Hospital-ForsythNorthside Hospital CherokeeCT angiogramAortic aneurysmCardiac tamponadeGwinnett CountyImaging misreadDelayed or missed diagnosisWrongful deathRadiologyDiagnostic imagingCardiologyEmergency medicine