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Dignity Health surgical center loses $543,000 lawsuit

December 22, 2013

coast surgeryA local banker won a more than $543,000 medical negligence lawsuit against the Pismo Beach Coastal Surgical Institute on Dec. 13.

Charles Blevins, 66, of Paso Robles developed a deep-tissue infection following a 2010 knee operation at the surgical center owned by Dignity Health and the majority of the physicians who work there. Dignity Health operates French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.

According to a complaint filed by Blevins’ attorney, Jeffrey Stulberg, surgical instruments used in Blevins surgery were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, which led to an infection. Blevins was one of three patients who underwent surgery at the center in 2010 and shortly afterwards was treated for a bacterial infections.

Three days after Blevins underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, he reported having a fever and severe pain. He went to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and underwent another surgery as well as antibiotic treatment for the infection.

Since contacting the bacterial infection, Blevins has had two additional surgeries and a complete knee replacement operation.

 


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Sign of the times… When in doubt, sue it out


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I wonder why the woman who was seen at the Templeton ER didn’t call her surgeon?


I suppose that when the emergency room doctor told them it was the flu virus they believe him because it was the beginning of flu season…Just the same I’m sure they told him about the recent knee surgery…that’s protocol for doctor’s to get history on patient…


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Which is why it is still called the “Practice,” of medicine.


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In this case the Twin Cities emergency room hospital doctor didn’t “practice” medicine.

He should have done blood work for heaven’s sake!

That 36 hour window might have been the difference between life and death.


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I know a person who had an elective knee replacement surgery at French Hospital.

She came down with a high fever two ? ? weeks after surgery. Husband took her to Templeton Emergency and that doctor sent her home without doing any blood work at all…! telling them she had the flu virus. Fever continued to be to high so she was admitted back into French Hospital where she died on Nov. 19, 2013, age 63, they said from Hemolytic Anemia of the blood…They are still waiting for the Autopsy report.


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Have your friend contact Mr. Stulberg. I personally know him and he does a excellent work and has a fantastic track record in Med-Malpractice.


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I know someone who had an elective knee-replacement surgery at AGCH and a few weeks later developed, out of the blue, a fever that spiked to 104 degrees and pain in the knee. The surgeon immediately told her to meet him at the ER, she was admitted, and they found a deep infection in the knee, for which they had to replace the knee components. She was on IV antibiotics 24/7 for 8 weeks.


The Templeton ER should have done blood work, including a sed rate.


I wonder why the woman who was seen at the Templeton ER didn’t call her surgeon?


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