72-year-old female patient had a compression fracture at T10 and the doctor, a board certified physiatrist with subspecialty certification in pain medicine, did the kyphoplasty at T9.
We are specifically in need of a review by someone with the same board certifications who does kyphoplasties.
Please abstain from posting a comment if you do not perform kyphoplasties.
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Do you believe there might have been medical error?
Difficult to say without seeing imaging. Depending on patients condition, it can be very difficult to get accurate counts on imaging studies. Also there can be radiology errors on counting vertbrae, which can lead to confusion. However, it is up to the treating physician to be sure they are treating the correct level.
Do you believe there might have been causation (i.e. the medical error resulted in an injury)?
In this age group, osteoporosis affects many vertebra, not only one single level. If the wrong level was treated, there is not necessarily an injury or damages. In most cases, the damages would be monetary, from the patient paying for a wrong-level procedure, and having to go back to get the correct level treated. What is the patients time worth. Certainly the facility and physician did not charge and collect for this wrong-site procedure.
What makes you a good expert for this case?
I have performed > 70 kyphoplasty in private practice.
How often do you encounter cases similar to this one in your practice?
Rarely, if ever, have i seen a wrong-level kypho. In addition i have personally performed prophylactic kyphoplasty, knowing there would be a fracture there in the future (preventative)
Do you believe there might have been medical error?
This appears to be a very cut and dry case of wrong-site surgery. This results in harm to the patient as they were exposed to all the risks of the procedure and possibly anesthesia without any benefit. They may have to additionally be re-exposed to those risks to perform the procedure at the correct level.
Do you believe there might have been causation (i.e. the medical error resulted in an injury)?
Performing the surgery at the wrong site is in itself an injury.
What makes you a good expert for this case?
I have extensive experience performing kyphoplasties for over 6 years. I routinely perform them almost every week in my practice. I have experience with almost every major system on the market.
How often do you encounter cases similar to this one in your practice?
I personally have never performed a wrong-site kyphoplasty.
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