Stent Procedures in Maryland Raise Concerns
By admin on January 11, 2011
Fox 43 News reports that the allegations against a Towson cardiologist accused of having implanted stents in hundreds of patients who didn’t need them have prompted members of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) to release a statement telling heart patients they should not avoid stent procedures. According to SCAI, inappropriate stent procedures are rare, and stents can greatly improve the quality of life in patients who need them. The case has been widely covered by the media in Maryland and many other states, and SCAI is concerned that patients will be scared away from a procedure that may save their lives.
However, many physicians, attorneys, and Senate investigators believe that inappropriate stent procedures occur far too often, and other reports have suggested that over-stenting could be a nationwide problem that is putting thousands of patients at great risk.
During a heart attack, a stent procedure can save a patient’s life by opening a blocked artery, thus allowing blood to travel properly away from the heart. A stent cannot prevent every heart attack, but it can improve health and quality of life by keeping blocked arteries open.
To help prevent inappropriate stent use in future, SCAI and the American College of Cardiology have submitted a draft Maryland Cardiovascular Patient Safety Act to the Maryland legislature. The Act would require accreditation of outpatient cardiovascular labs that implant stents.
If you’re facing serious heart distress or other heart problems, a stent may save your life. However, stents can also increase the risk of blood clots, which is an acceptable risk for many heart-attack patients, but not for those who did not need a stent implanted in the first place. Experienced Maryland stent implant surgery malpractice attorney Steven H. Heisler “The Injury Lawyer” has handled a wide range of stent-related cases. He will examine the details of your stent implant surgery thoroughly and work to protect your legal rights. To schedule a free and confidential case evaluation, please don’t hesitate to call The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler today at 877-228-4878.
Maryland Unnecessary Stent Implant Procedures – Are You at Risk?
By injuheis on June 21, 2010
The Maryland Board of physicians, the regulatory board in charge of licensing doctors in Maryland, has accused a Towson cardiologist of performing hundreds of stent implant procedures in patients who may not have even needed them. According to The Washington Post, the cardiologist is suspected of violating several Maryland laws pertaining to the “gross overutilization of health care services” and “willfully making a false report or record in the practice of medicine”.
Not only are stent implants expensive, but they also present potential health risks, such as blood clots. In addition, they create negative long-term effects because the recipient is required to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of his or her life.
Hundreds of patients who received stent implants in Maryland were under the impression that they had significant coronary artery blockage and needed the stent implant in order to open up the blocked the artery. These patients trusted the opinion of the cardiologist, who ran a cardiac catheterization lab at St. Joseph Medical Center until just this last year. However, after detailed review of the cardiologists X-ray images, it appears that he repeatedly overestimated the level of narrowing, or “stenosis,” patients had in their arteries. For instance, several patients displayed less than 50 percent blockage when the cardiologist wrote in the patient’s records that they suffered an 80 percent blockage of a coronary artery.
Once a stent is implanted in a patient, it can never be removed. With this in mind, individuals with stent implants who may not really need them may now face unnecessary emotional, physical and financial challenges. The controversy surrounding the St. Joseph Hospital cardiologist has impacted hundreds of patients’ lives. The Maryland stent implant injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler have many years of experience successfully handling medical malpractice and personal injury cases. Contact Steven H. Heisler, “The Injury Lawyer,” today for a free consultation of your potential stent implant injury case.