Let’s start at the end. You kind of know how this ends. Dr. Simon Bramhall, a liver transplant surgeon in the UK, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating. He pleaded not guilty to the more serious charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Prosecutors accepted his plea and he is scheduled for … Read more
“Julie’s Law” is a Wisconsin bill named in honor of Julie Ayer. The patient had breast augmentation surgery in 2003. Sadly, the patient flatlined during the procedure. CPR was initiated, but too late. The patient was transported back to Wisconsin where she died three months later. According to the patient’s brother: “The doctor had no license in anesthesia. … Read more
A recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted a case of a patient who presented to the Emergency Department, unconscious, with a Do Not Resuscitate tattoo sprawled across his chest. The 70 year old man was quite ill on arrival. His blood alcohol level was high. He had COPD, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation. In the … Read more
Dr. Reinaldo de los Heros was practicing as a psychiatrist in Maine. On October 10, 2017, the Board of Medicine suspended his license for 30 days. (He had multiple interactions with multiple Boards of Medicine throughout the years. For example, in 1999, he pleaded guilty in Massachusetts for Medicaid fraud and grand larceny.) On August 31, Dr. de los Heros was evaluating … Read more
This story caught my attention. I have mixed feelings. Dr. Anna Konopka is a general practitioner in New London, New Hampshire. Ever heard of it? Neither had I. 4,000 people live there. Not a big community. Dr. Konopka graduated from medical school in Poland in 1960. She moved to the U.S. soon thereafter and she … Read more
This is not a story of medical practices becoming insurance-free. This year, a number of friends and colleagues explained they received a note from their long time health insurer. These were all people insured on the individual market. Their insurance plans were “grandfathered” so they did not have to purchase a policy on the exchange. … Read more
Thirty years ago, no one would have thought of this scenario. Hacking into a pacemaker to cause harm. Abbott Laboratories release a software path (firmware update) in late August to reduce the risk that someone with malicious intent could gain unauthorized access to a patient’s pacemaker. The update was issued after an outside security firm … Read more
Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who famously said: “War is a mere continuation of politics by other means,” (“Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln”). I leave the full parsing of its meaning to other military strategists. But, the quote serves as a useful segue to discuss how divorced parents sometimes use the medico-legal playing field to continue their battles. … Read more
If you’re a surgeon, I have little doubt you have done a stellar job in selecting your patients. You’ve never made a mistake. Never looked back and wondered “What was I thinking?” Never overruled your staff when they detected “red flags.” Never talked yourself into accepting a patient for the operating room when you’ve had … Read more
When a person is sick, they are stressed and anxious. No surprise. And it’s human nature to fill in the blanks with bad news. That’s why ambiguous information can be magnified into a worst case scenario. A close relative was being evaluated to a medical condition. He had some lab work done and was told … Read more
