Cardiologist Dr. Arvind Gandhi and his associates at Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana, P.C., are under investigation for allegedly performing unnecessary surgeries. Over 300 patients have accused the medical practice of implanting pacemakers, defibrillators, and stents they didn’t need. Plaintiff attorney David Cutshaw had a doctor review 12 defibrillators implanted by Gandhi. Seven of the procedures were found to have been medically unnecessary.  The cardiology group is facing charges of medical malpractice, violations of the False Claims Act, and Medicare fraud.
In December 2015, a Lake Superior Court jury awarded Shannon Greer $450K in the wrongful death lawsuit against Ghandi. Her late husband died after the doctor treated him for an infected pacemaker. In the hospital, Gandhi took out the device, washed it off with antibiotics and reinserted it. Two weeks later, Greer returned to the hospital to have the pacemaker removed because it was still infected. Returning home, the 65 year old patient collapsed and later died in the ER.
The American Heart Association states:
Complete removal of all hardware, regardless of location (subcutaneous, transvenous, or epicardial), is the recommended treatment for patients with established CIED (cardiovascular implantable electronic device) infection. This includes cases in which a localized pocket infection occurs in the absence of signs of systemic infection. Complete removal of hardware is needed because infection relapse rates due to retained hardware are high. Erosion of any part of the CIED should imply contamination of the entire system, including the intravascular portion of leads, and complete device removal should be performed.
Cardiologists and hospitals are under scrutiny by regulators for performing unnecessary medical procedures. The Indiana Lawyer reports that Cardiology Associates of Northwest Indiana “routinely performed unneeded procedures, sometimes scheduling patients for invasive procedures such as angiograms every six months.” Medical malpractice litigation against a cardiologist may involve improper or delayed treatment of coronary artery disease.  Cardiology expert witnesses are qualified to assess the standard of care provided by a cardiologist or hospital charged with performing unnecessary surgeries. These experts are trained to be an invaluable part of the discovery team and present medical records to the court with full transparency.
Contact ELITE today to find a cardiology expert witness for your medical malpractice case.
