Wednesday, July 22, 2009

VA Physician Assigned to Correct Botched Radiation Treatment Previously Botched Radiation Treatments

"The expert assigned by the Veterans Administration to "touch up" the treatment of veterans given the wrong doses of radiation for prostate cancer in Philadelphia was accused in federal lawsuits of botching the radiation treatments for three of his patients.

Court records show Kent Wallner, the Seattle VA physician, was accused in lawsuits against the VA of causing extensive damage to three veterans being treated for prostate cancer. Two of the three cases were settled for $1 million apiece. The third case was dismissed, and an appeal to the Supreme Court is being considered.

"This is truly the fox guarding the hen house," said Ann R. Deutscher, a Seattle lawyer who represented the veterans in the cases involving Wallner. "I'm just astounded," she said when informed the eight patients from Philadelphia were sent to Wallner."

Full Article: Veterans Administration physician accused of botching cancer treatment

By Walter F. Roche Jr.
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 22, 2009

WWII Veteran's Estate Awarded $749,000.00 for Lost Vision

"A federal judge has awarded $749,000 to the estate of a World War II veteran who lost much of his vision during surgery at the Veterans Administration medical facility in Jackson.

U.S. District Judge Tom Lee said in a footnote to Monday’s 18-page ruling that he was inclined to award more money for Charles West’s suffering, “which clearly has been extreme,” but was limited by Mississippi’s pain-and-suffering cap in such lawsuits.

West, who owned a grocery store in Greenville before moving to Brandon after his wife died, claimed in his suit that he suffered damage to the corneas of both eyes during a blepharoplasty, a procedure to remove sagging skin between the eyebrow and the eye lid.

West’s injury most likely occurred when a nurse used an undiluted Betadine solution or scrub during preparation for his surgery on March 10, 2006, Lee said.

“After the malpractice, the VA called Mr. West, his 83-year-old sister and his niece into a meeting and told them he had an allergic reaction. They lied to him,” West’s attorney, Billy Quin, said Wednesday. “If they just would have said this, ’We messed up, but we’re going to take care of you’ and then followed through and taken care of him there probably never would have been a lawsuit.”

An attorney for the VA did not respond to messages left by The Associated Press."

Full Article: Estate of late WWII vet gets $749,000 over surgery

By HOLBROOK MOHR • Associated Press Writer • July 22, 2009

VA Glaucoma Mistreatment Causes Blindness in 7 Veterans

VA informed 7 patients that improper care might of caused their blindness.

"In February the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, or VAPAHCS, initiated a three-month internal review of 381 charts and determined 23 glaucoma patients experienced "progressive visual loss" while receiving treatment in the hospital's optometry department, the Veterans Affairs office in Washington, D.C. told The Daily News."

"The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed its Palo Alto facility put the chief of optometry on administrative leave and reassigned another optometrist while it recently investigated the treatment of hundreds of eye patients, some of whom experienced significant vision loss under the department's care."

Full Article: VA says glaucoma patients at Palo Alto facility suffered severe vision loss due to mistreatment

By Jessica Bernstein-Wax

Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: 07/22/2009 12:00:12 AM PDT
Updated: 07/22/2009 11:07:43 AM PDT