Monday, July 27, 2009

VA-Salem Surgeon in Lawsuit Alleging Incapacitation

Patient Says VA Surgeon Was Incapacitated
By RYAN ABBOTT

ROANOKE, Va. (CN) - A surgeon with a long history of alcohol abuse severely injured a man during knee replacement surgery at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Va., the 71-year-old veteran claims in Federal Court.
Hal Gibson Paxton, an Army vet, claims that Dr. James McLeod was incapacitated during his surgery, and had to leave after lacerating an artery and vein, sending Paxton to intensive care, where he needed more surgeries to repair the torn blood vessels. Paxton says McLeod had to leave the surgery after an hour and 20 minutes because he was incapacitated, and other doctors had to complete the more than 6-hour surgery. He says he was hospitalized for nearly a month after the botched operation.
He claims McLeod injured him with "a laceration of the right popliteal artery and vein, an injury to the medial collateral ligament, a laceration to the gastrocnemius in excess of the usual case, and the anterior medial portion of the tibial plateau was broken off."
The complaint alleges that Dr. McLeod had numerous citations for driving under the influence and rehab trips as well as a stay in intensive care at his own hospital for treatment of alcoholic ketoacidosis.
Paxton sued the United States, demanding $2 million for medical malpractice and negligent retention. He is represented by Anthony Russell with Gentry Locke & Rakes.

Prognosis Poor for 14 Veterans Who Received Substandard Care

"Up to 14 people who got substandard care at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center now face a poor prognosis, a federal official said Thursday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

"The treatment was clearly not effective in six veterans who received radioactive seed implants, based on the blood protein test that monitors signs of prostate cancer. An additional eight patients may also have suffered treatment failures; their PSA test levels have begun to rise - a worrisome sign, Michael Hagen, the VA's national director of radiation oncology services, told members of the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations yesterday. Time will tell if more veterans face a recurrence of their cancers, Hagen said.""

Full Article: Federal Official Says Poor Prognosis Result From VA Center's Substandard Treatment
Article Date: 27 Jul 2009 - 3:00 PDT

Attorney Filing Cliams Against VA for Veterans Exposed to Infectious Body Fluids

Attorney, Mike Sheppard of Nashville, said he is preparing to file claims with the VA for about 60 veterans, including three women against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to pay disability benefits and damages for hospital mistakes that may have exposed veterans to infectious body fluids — a complaint that he said could ultimately multiply into many more such demands.

"Among them are veterans who have tested positive for HIV and hepatitis and others who suffered emotional distress after the VA provided them with initial positive blood tests for infections that turned out to be wrong.

Sheppard also said other veterans among the roughly 10,000 affected former patients at VA hospitals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Miami and Augusta, Ga., are likely to seek compensation beyond the VA's offer of free medical care."

Full Report:
Vets affected by VA hospital errors to file claims


By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer