Personal Injury Law

Doctor Inserts Unnecessary Stents Into Patients' Bodies

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

Last year, St. Joseph Medical Center, located outside of Baltimore, sent a letter to nearly 600 former patients letting them know that stents that were inserted into their arteries by cardiologist Mark Midei were unnecessary. The letter suggested that they should go see a doctor to check on the status of the stents to determine the effect of the unneeded medical device on their body.

However, according the Baltimore Sun, now that hospitals officials realize that they are likely going to have to pay for the damages caused by these medical mistakes, they are refusing to admit that their error caused patients any damage.

Stents are small mesh tubes that help open clogged arteries to restore blood flow. They are also intended to help prevent the artery from bursting. Any patient who has been forced to undergo the medical procedure to have the stent inserted is likely to confess that it was an experience that they would otherwise not have wanted. Besides the emotional toll that these medical issues always take on individuals, many patients are also required to spend over $2,800 a year in annual blood-thinning drugs following the insertion. All patients with stents also have an increased risk of sudden blood clotting among other complications.

Mark Midei, the doctor charged with starting all of these problems by inserting the unnecessary stents was ultimately found to have altered information in some patients? medical files. For example, in one case tests revealed that a certain patient had 40% blockage in their heart artery, but the doctor wrote in the medical file that the patient had an 80% obstruction and was in need of a stent. Money was the likely motivation for the negligent doctor. The more procedures he performed, the more money he earned?almost $1.3 million last year alone.

Instead of owning up to the mistakes and providing patients with the necessary costs for what they endured, the hospitals officials and their lawyers are dragging out the process. It is exactly for that reason that it is important to contact an attorney any time you feel you have been the victim of a hospital error. Our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys at Levin & Perconti have decades of experience fighting on your behalf against negligent doctors and hospitals. These legal battles require experience, legal skill, and persistence?something our attorneys possess in unlimited quantities.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on August 31, 2010 (boomark / email).