An infectious disease expert advises on a case involving a spinal surgery patient who alleges that he acquired MRSA from his surgeon. Defendant doctor recommended spine surgery for plaintiff. Plaintiff alleges he promised immediate pain relief and that the surgery was minimally invasive. The hospital stay was estimated to be two or three days. Following the surgery, the plaintiff spent eight days in a coma in intensive care. The plaintiff’s pain continued and got worse. He underwent a total of five surgeries and claims he still is essentially immobilized by pain.
Plaintiff alleges negligence in the performance of the surgeries and that he did not provide informed consent for what turned out to be experimental procedures involving medical devices supplied by a company for which the defendant worked.
Additionally, plaintiff acquired the bacteria, methicillin resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) infection during the third surgery, he said. The defendant’s dog had MRSA at the time, and defendant frequently exposed his patients, including plaintiff, to the dog. The defendant had a habit of keeping the dog unclean, and permitted the animal to wander freely about his medical practice, the plaintiff alleges.