Two spine surgeons were cleared of malpractice allegations in the last month.
A jury found neurosurgeon David Boarini, MD, wasn't responsible for a patient's alleged pain and decreased mobility after spine surgery and cleared him of a $27 million malpractice claim. He operated on the patient in 2019 and planned to stabilize slipped vertebrae and remove a damaged disc. The patient said in a lawsuit that she had pain after surgery that radiated to her knee. MRI imaging showed a pedicle screw encroaching on a nerve root, according to the lawsuit. However, Dr. Boarini's defense team proved the screw hadn't touched any nerves and the screw was in the epidural space of the spine. Dr. Boarini's team also showed the patient had back pain long before surgery and had it after the screw was removed.
Anil Kesani, MD, was cleared by a jury in a civil case accusing the spine surgeon of botching a woman's surgery in 2017. The patient sued him for negligence, but the trial revealed inconsistencies in her allegations. She alleged he misplaced four of six screws in her back during a 2017 surgery and that they went into her nerves. The complication was corrected within 24 hours, but she alleged she had symptoms after the second surgery and couldn't feel in parts of her right leg.