Expert Information

Currently engaged in clinical practice: Yes

Degree: MD

Specialty / Subspecialty:

  • Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery

Area of Expertise: CABG, Valve Surgery, Aortic Dissection, Mechanical Circulatory Support, ECMO, TAVR

Year of Medical Training Completion: 2004

City of Practice: Multiple

State of Practice: Texas

Previous Experience As Expert Witness: Yes

Type of Practice: Non-Academic

  • Deposition(s) Given For the Defendant:
  • Deposition(s) Given For the Plaintiff:
  • Testified in a Trial For the Defendent:
  • Testified in a Trial For the Plaintiff:

Available to Review Cases: Yes, for either the defendant or the plaintiff

Available to Be Deposed: Yes, for either the defendant or the plaintiff

Available to Testify In Trial: Yes, for either the defendant or the plaintiff

Training and Additional Credentials

Medical School: -

Year of Completion: -

Residency: -

Year of Completion: -

Fellowship: -

Year of Completion: -

Academic / Leadership Information

Highest Academic/Leadership Position Achieved: -

Current Academic Affiliation: -

Distinguishing Achievements

Awards: -

Number of Publications on PubMed: -

Professional Organizations: -

Fee Schedule

Medical Record Review:

Review of Medical Records, Review of Additional Materials, additional office consultation

  • $750
  • $2250

Independent Medical Examination:

Independent Medical Examination with written report

  • Per Hour: $750

Deposition in office:

Deposition: Discovery/Evidence

  • First two hours: -
  • For each Additional hour or any portion thereof: -
  • Retainer (due 14 days prior to scheduled disposition): -
  • Cancellation fee (less than 7 days notice): -

Trial (InState):

  • Initial day: -
  • Cancellation fee (less than 72 hours notice): -
  • For each additional day: -
  • Cancellation fee (less than 72 hours notice): -
  • Retainer (due 14 days prior to scheduled trial): -

Trial (Out of State):

  • Initial day: -
  • Cancellation fee (less than 72 hours notice): -
  • For each additional day: -
  • Cancellation fee (less than 72 hours notice): -
  • Retainer (due 14 days prior to scheduled trial): -

Case Responses

Death from CAD after CABG postponed (Case #210)

  • Medical Probability: 5 / 10
  • Medical Error Summary: It is unclear whether the surgery should have been performed in February as originally planned. Importantly, the following question would need to be resolved: What was the planned procedure (i.e., w...
  • Causation Probability: 8 / 10
  • Causation Summary: If indeed there were adequate grounds for proceeding with CABG and if there were inadequate grounds for delay—assumptions for now—causation would very likely have been met. If the patient underwe...
  • Expert Summary: I am a cardiac surgeon with over 20 years of experience and have performed over a thousand CABGs. I have practiced in both academic and private institutions.
  • Similar Summary: Making a decision to delay revascularization in a patient with known coronary artery disease is a fairly common scenario that I encounter at least monthly.

Coronary AV fistula after CABG x4 (Case #261)

  • Medical Probability: 6 / 10
  • Medical Error Summary: Unless there are mitigating circumstances, prima facie there has been medical error here. There are techniques available to confirm that your bypass is going to an artery, including observing the thi...
  • Causation Probability: 6 / 10
  • Causation Summary: On the admission where she presented with an STEMI, the clinical picture along with the CTA and angiogram show the surgical error. Although the complete report of these studies has not been included ...
  • Expert Summary: I am a seasoned cardiac surgeon with over 20 years experience in the field. I have performed over a 1,000 CABGs.
  • Similar Summary: Rarely. I have seen it about 5 times in my entire career.

77M, IVC tear during CABG (Case #472)

  • Medical Probability: 5 / 10
  • Medical Error Summary: Complications like a tear of the IVC can occur in the absence of malpractice. The operative report does not reveal any red flags. Once recognized, it appears that the surgeon and his colleagues went...
  • Causation Probability: 8 / 10
  • Causation Summary: So, the question, as phrased is tricky. The causation element is satisfied since, it is likely, had the IVC injury not occurred, that the patient would have survived. However, it is unclear from the...
  • Expert Summary: I haver performed thousands of CABGs and hundreds of valve surgeries, and have practiced in both the academic and private practice environments.
  • Similar Summary: A tear of the IVC during CABG/Valve surgery is extremely rare. For most cardiac surgeons, this will occur fewer than 5 times in their career. I have removed cardiac tumors from the IVC, which requir...

Phrenic nerve injury after CABG resulting in need for a single lung transplant. (Case #535)

  • Medical Probability: 5 / 10
  • Medical Error Summary: Based upon my review of the materials made available to date, it is my preliminary opinion that, absent evidence of a specific intraoperative mishap, a clearly avoidable mechanism of injury, or some o...
  • Causation Probability: 6 / 10
  • Causation Summary: Provided there was no preoperative elevated left hemidiaphragm, no evidence of prior left phrenic dysfunction, and no other more plausible alternative explanation, the available information is suffici...
  • Expert Summary: I am a good expert for this case because I have more than 25 years of experience in cardiothoracic surgery, including longstanding practice in adult cardiac surgery and extensive experience performing...
  • Similar Summary: I encounter postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction after cardiac surgery with some regularity, although in most cases it is temporary and improves over time. Permanent or prolonged paralysis is much ...