Failure to Prescribe

Investigate

The patient was a 51-year-old married father of two and had been having difficulty with his knees for years. He saw a local orthopedic surgeon, who recommended bilateral knee replacements. The patient had a history of a genetic mutation, which put him at an increased risk for developing a blood clot. The orthopedic surgeon knew that the patient had a family history of this mutation but was apparently unaware whether or not the patient had it himself.

Following the first knee replacement surgery, the orthopedic surgeon prescribed aspirin for VTE prophylaxis (to prevent blood clots). The patient did well after the surgery, and the orthopedic surgeon performed his other knee replacement a few months later. Again, the patient was prescribed aspirin. Unfortunately, weeks after the knee replacement surgery, the patient passed away due to a blood clot that had traveled from his knee to his lungs.

Analyze

We were also able to show that had the patient been prescribed a different medication, he would have been much less likely to have developed a blood clot.

Synthesize

We also identified a number of witnesses who would have testified at trial about the magnitude of the loss that this man’s life had on his family members and community.