|
|
|
|
Pulmonary Emboli Results in Patient Death
| |
A specialist is held to a standard of care that requires his best clinical judgment, knowledge, skill and experience. Thus, a specialist may be held to a higher standard of care than a generalist. Although not board certified in pulmonology, he was a board certified and experienced neurosurgeon with the requisite knowledge and experience to diagnose and treat DVT and pulmonary emboli. During recovery, the patient succumbed to an inherent complication of surgical procedures.
This non-ambulatory postoperative patient had multiple risk factors for pulmonary embolism. Although it was reasonable for the neurosurgeon to rely upon the pulmonologist's advice, he was also obligated to continue caring for the patient using his own experience and training in postoperative complications and could not defer exclusively to the consultant.
|
|
PRINCIPLE:
When a condition is common to both the practice of a treating physician and that of a consulting specialist, the treating physician has a duty to clinically manage the patient's presenting illness. |
|
| |
Correct Answer |
| After a consultation, a requesting physician must follow the specialist's recommendations without reservation. |
False |
| A surgeon is expected to be competent in both the technical aspects of a surgical procedure and in the management of postoperative complications. |
True |
| Only pulmonary specialists have the training and experience to detect and manage pulmonary emboli, therefore a surgeon may rely exclusively on a pulmonology consultation for the clinical management of a postoperative patient where a pulmonary embolism is in the differential diagnosis. |
False |
|
|
About ELM Exchange, Inc.
For more than 20 years, ELM Exchange, Inc. (ELM stands for Education in Legal Medicine) has worked with hospitals, health systems, and insurance carriers to educate healthcare providers about risk and patient safety. ELM programs are a tested and proven offering that provides organizations with a method to proactively address critical risk issues and to easily monitor and document those efforts. |
ELM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. |
|
All Web site design, text, graphics, the selection and arrangement thereof, are Copyright © 2011 by ELM Exchange, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any use of materials in this e-mail or on this Web site, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of ELM, is strictly prohibited. Case Analysis is not a source of legal advice for actual legal problems. The authors and producers are not offering legal advice. Although the case studies used are based on actual medical malpractice cases, the facts have been adapted to illustrate various clinicolegal issues. Legal principles have been adduced from common law decisions, not from statutory or regulatory laws. The Case Analysis quiz component asks readers to conduct a situational analysis by applying the legal principles illustrated in the case to the situations presented in the quiz questions. The questions are derived from the legal principles introduced in the case study and are intended to be thought-provoking, the questions are not necessarily derived from the materials discussed in the case. Legal considerations involved in medical malpractice claim adjudications arise in specific factual contexts that require case-specific analysis, interpretations and the applications of often times unclear or changing principles. Because of variations in fact patterns and local jurisdictions, specific consultation should be obtained before formal action is taken based on any information contained in this publication. Information in this publication is not intended to be, and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice or contextually based claim adjudication. For specific guidelines on any actual or potential malpractice claim, or for an opinion on a specific liability exposure, consult an attorney.
|
|
|
