More allegations of unneccesary use of coronary stents-Now in Texas

More controversial developments and allegations of unneccesary use of coronary stents are being raised in a Texas medicla community. The case is similar to an ongoing investigation in Baltimore and other areas. It raises great concern about who is responsible for the direct oversight of physician activities. Medicine is still an art and sometimes there are several ways to treat a patient. There are also wrong ways to treat.

Read the story and post comments about how you think patients should manage the uncertainty. I have been a patient and I have had the same concerns.

More 'unnecessary stenting' allegations—this time in Texas
November 25, 2010 | Shelley Wood
Austin, TX and Towson, MD - Questions about unnecessary stent procedures have reared their head again, this time in Texas. The Texas Medical Board alleges that Austin/El Paso interventional cardiologist Dr Samuel J DeMaio failed to meet the standard of care in his treatment of nine patients.


According to a Complaint filed by the Board on August 17, 2010 [1], DeMaio committed a number of standard-of-care violations by placing multiple stents in areas of insignificant or moderate disease; performing multiple angiograms in patients who were asymptomatic and had normal stress tests; unnecessarily implanting an ICD in two patients; failing to adequately inform patients of risks; and failing to obtain informed consent for the off-label use of a device in one patient.

http://www.theheart.org/article/1156973.do  To read the entire article visit heart wire and view