BOSTON (AP) - The family of a man whose lethal heart ailment was misdiagnosed as a lung infection has been awarded $4.8 million by a Suffolk County jury that determined a doctor was responsible for the death.
Jeffrey Kace went to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center complaining of a cough, fever, and chest pains in August 2006. During a short visit, the doctor diagnosed the 23-year-old man with bronchitis, prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, and sent him home.
Robert Higgins, the lawyer for Kace’s family, tells The Boston Globe (https://b.globe.com/1g0tG4n ) that Kace was found dead in bed the next morning.
The medical examiner identified Kace’s cause of death as myocarditis, a virus that infects and inflames the heart muscle.
Neither the doctor nor his lawyer would comment. The doctor no longer works in Massachusetts.
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Information from: The Boston Globe, https://www.bostonglobe.com
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