Union Memorial Stent Lawsuits: Unnecessary Stents May Have Been Placed

Over the past several months, our Maryland malpractice lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. have been investigating potential claims for individuals who may have received an unneeded heart stent at St. Joseph Medical Center. As part of our investigation of claims, we have also heard from individuals treated at other Maryland hospitals who were concerned they may have received a stent that was not medically necessary. It now appears that these heart stent problems may also extend to Union Memorial Hospital and Washington Adventist Hospital, where stents may have been implanted when they were not needed.

Last weekend, an investigative report published by the Baltimore Sun uncovered data that suggests Dr. Mark Midei at St. Joseph Medical Center was not the only Maryland doctor who was implanting cardiac stents when patients did not need them. According to data obtained by the paper, it appears that some doctors at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park also decided to implant stents at a rate that greatly exceeds the state’s average.

Hospitals across Maryland gave cardiac catheterization patients heart stents about 35 percent of the time on average, but at St. Joseph they performed the $14,000 medical procedure 46 percent of the time, and at Union Memorial the rate was 44 percent. Together, St. Joseph and Union Memorial have taken in $760 million from cardiac catheterization patients and stent implant procedures since 2005, and some of those procedures may have been performed for financial reasons instead of for medical need.

Since information came out that Dr. Midei was performing unnecessary stent procedures at St. Joseph Medical Center, a subsequent review of medical records found that some patients who were told that they had substantial blockages that required a stent placement actually only had minor blockages, sometimes as low as 10%.

Although officials from Union Memorial Hospital told The Sun that their high rate of stent placements was a result of the fact that cardiologists refer their most difficult patient cases to the hospital, it appears that some Union Memorial patients were also given stents when they were not medically necessary.

Over the past year, since the problems with heart stents at St. Joseph Medical Center brought increased scrutiny and media attention to the field, the rate of stent placements at Union Memorial has decreased according to The Sun. The hospital’s stent placement rates are reportedly now closer to the state average, even though there is no indication that referring cardiologists stopped sending their most difficult cases to the hospital.

UNION MEMORIAL STENT LAWSUITS

In addition to reviewing potential St. Joseph stent lawsuits, our lawyers are also investigating potential claims for individuals who received a cardiac stent at Union Memorial Hospital since 2005. Potential cases will be reviewed to determine whether the doctor may have implanted a stent that was not needed.

All cases are reviewed on a contingency fee basis, which means that there are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained. To review a potential case for yourself or a family member, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.