Every day, thousands of heart surgeries are performed in the United States. In fact, 500,000 coronary bypass procedures were performed in one recent year. Although there is a shortage of donor organs, heart transplants are performed on more than 2,300 people each year.
Every day, thousands of heart surgeries are performed in the United States. In fact, 500,000 coronary bypass procedures were performed in one recent year. Although there is a shortage of donor organs, heart transplants are performed on more than 2,300 people each year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.4 million arteriography and angiocardiography using contrast material, 1.0 million cardiac catheterizations and 395,000 coronary artery bypass grafts are performed each year in the US. Additionally, there were 454,000 insertions of coronary artery stent performed.
Cardiac stents are one of the most regularly and commonly used medical devices. Used to open a patient’s arteries, millions of people in the US receive these implants every year. However, despite their regular appearance in modern medicine, cardiac stents are the cause of many medical malpractice claims.
Medical Risks Associated with Stents
Patients who receive stent implants may suffer from many serious risks. Bleeding from anti-clotting medicine, blood clots, scar tissue blockages and other related problems can be extremely dangerous and may prove to be fatal in some cases. Since 2009, more than 700 fatalities have been reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involving cardiac stents. This was a major increase of more than 70% from the previous year and the numbers have been higher since then.
Non-fatal incidences that involve cardiac stents include clotting of the blood, perforated arteries and other injuries. Other risks have not been determined from long-term use of stents. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is great potential for injury with these devices.
Medical Malpractice
Although there are a number of risks related to cardiac stents, many physicians are still using these devices as a go-to treatment for a variety of medical issues. In many cases, patients are not properly informed about the potential risks or the benefits of various alternative treatments because these risks are not discussed by medical professionals.
Many medical experts perform cardiac stent implants due to the high payout of using these devices. Malpractice often occurs when the doctor performs an unnecessary procedure or surgery to get a higher payout. According to one report, over a million people in the US in the last 10 years have received procedures implanting stents in their coronary arteries when they did not have any need for the device.
If a patient is injured or harmed through malpractice as a result of an unnecessary procedure, it may give rise to medical malpractice. These types of injuries may be extensive in nature and require significant requests for monetary compensation for damages. The risk of blood-related injury leads to harm in many patients. They may need to receive additional procedures to repair or reverse the damage, requiring the patient to incur additional medical expenses.
If you or a loved one is injured or harmed due to malpractice, you should immediately seek the help of a medical malpractice attorney at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000. Give us a call. The first meeting is free. We are not paid until you are paid.
This is because we only take a percentage of the verdict or settlement. We will be prepared to go to court if we have to but most likely we will convince the other side to settle. Because of this, you never really pay us and we are only paid if you are paid. If your case is viable, we will shoulder this risk. RMFW Law wants to win as badly as you do.
