I've witnessed 4 medical emergencies, with 3 being life-threatening. Each case at different hospitals, and each incorrectly diagnosed.
The most dramatic was in 2009. My wife was admitted to emergency at 22 weeks pregnant with severe cramping, nausea, and severe IBS like symptoms. She couldn't keep food down, leading to daily stomach pumping and eventually IV nutrition.
The episodes started every few days but grew more intense and frequent. After 8 days, the first doctor seemed lost. When I asked about a second opinion, he lectured me that it was "his call to make, not mine." That killed any trust - I asked him not to return.
The next doctor, an eccentric but brilliant GI specialist, ordered new tests. I obsessively googled every result (partly to cope, partly to help). When he suggested a motility drug, my research found a case of spontaneous abortion linked to it. We declined.
Three weeks in, I noticed something odd in her lab work - different blood counts from different locations. More late-night googling led me to placental percreta, where the placenta grows through the uterus and attaches to other organs. Several ultrasounds proved inconclusive.
With daily episodes now and my wife deteriorating, we insisted on an emergency C-section despite warnings about our baby's lung development. During the procedure, even with an epidural, she went into extreme pain. Her eyes rolled back, the surgical team's demeanor changed instantly, and I was told to leave the OR.
Waiting outside for who knows how long. I knew the risks. Some noise down the hallway, a few nurses called me over. They were wheeling a humidicrib down the hall to the ICU. Little champs whole leg was no longer than my pinky finger. They took him into the ICU and sent me to the hospital room to wait.
The OB arrived an hour or so later and explained she was alive and they had to remove something. He took out a photo and and showed how the placenta had indeed broken through her uterus and attached to the intestine. He then pointed to a particular point and explained how it would have ruptured at any moment. The decision to push for the C-section likely saved both lives. Our son, never developed lung issues. Lots of luck.
This experience showed me how even amazing doctors, overwhelmed with cases and data, can miss crucial connections. In 2009, they didn't have the tools to correlate data the way I could with google search-fu.
AI diagnosis tools will save lives - they can make these connections faster and more reliably than either doctors or desperate husbands with search engines. And it will just improve over time.