Radiofrequency Ablation Patient Suffers Cerebral Hypoxia

This case involves a middle aged man who underwent radiofrequency ablation to treat arthritis pain. During the procedure, the patient was reported to have an abnormally declining heart rate and within minutes coded. Surgeons stopped the procedure and attempted to resuscitate him, but did not have proper equipment to do so effectively. EMS did not arrive until 15 minutes after the patient coded and the surgeon’s resuscitation efforts were not working. EMS were able to intubate him but his oxygen saturation had reached dangerously low levels. He subsequently suffered from cerebral hypoxia and died from his injuries.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Do you routinely supervise and manage an outpatient medical / surgery center?

2. Can you determine if the necessary precautions and resuscitation/ equipment were utilized in this case?

Expert Witness Response E-061132

I am a Licensed Risk Manager, Certified Surgery Center Administrator and Certified Operating Room Nurse. I routinely managed and supervised all clinical staff in the ambulatory surgery environment for 17 years. For the past 8 years I have been an accreditation surveyor, and surgery center consultant continuously involved in the standards within this environment, training staff to meet these standards and evaluating compliance.