A doctor is being sued for not providing heparin for DVT prophylaxis after a hysterectomy
A 46-year old woman died from a blood clot after undergoing a laparscopically assisted hysterectomy three days earlier. She was given compression boots, but the doctor was sued because he “should have provided his wife a prescription blood thinner like heparin.”
An elective hysterectomy would be classified as a moderate risk surgery, and accordingly the risk for fatal PE is 0.1 to 0.7 percent. Although heparin is the recommended treatment for DVT prophylaxis in gynecological surgery, the use of compression boots is not unacceptable. Interesting to see how this case plays out.
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- Sued . . . for overtesting
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What is the risk for fatal PE for heparin prophylaxis and then three months of Warfarin therapy?
Jury found there was no negligence.
http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/articles/2005/04/15/news/news09.txt
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