Cardiologist: Up to 5 stents Excela patient received were not needed – Tribune-Review

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A Connecticut cardiologist testified Wednesday that as many as five stents implanted into a North Huntingdon truck driver in late 2008 were unnecessary and led to complications that nearly cost Steven Sensenich his life.

During the third day in a malpractice trial, Dr. John Setaro told jurors that medical evidence did not support the decision by Dr. Ehab Morcos to perform two separate procedures at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital.

There was no need for more invasive procedures as there were no (health) indications and no benefits, Setaro said.

A Westmoreland County jury is hearing evidence in lawsuit brought by Sensenich against Morcos, Westmoreland County Cardiology, his cardiac practice, and Excela that alleges unnecessary medical procedures. The trial is the first of 71 cases pending against Excela, Morcos and Dr. George Bou Samra that were filed after the hospital issued 192 disclosures to patients who were suspected to have received unnecessary stents from the doctors in 2009 and 2010.

Sensenich was not part of that disclosure, but he contends Morcos recommended and performed three procedures to implant unneeded stents, mesh tubes that increase blood flow in cardiac arteries.

Setaro reviewed Sensenich's medical records and narrated to jurors videos of the actual procedures performed in late 2008.

The first procedure performed in October 2008 to place two stents were justified and needed to correct a 95 percent blockage, testified Setaro, who works as a cardiac doctor and instructor at the Yale University School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.

A second procedure a month later was neither, he told jurors. One artery identified by Morcos for a stent was not sufficiently blocked and complications arose during the procedure, Setaro testified. The complications required three additional stents to be implanted to correct those life-threatening problems created by Morcos and left Sensenich fighting for his life in intensive care for about four days, according to Setaro.

They were completely medically unnecessary. If it was avoided entirely, as it should have been, then none of that would have happened, Setaro testified.

Sensenich contends Morcos performed one additional procedure to implant yet another unneeded stent in late December, according to his expert.

Morcos has maintained all of the stents Sensenich received were medically necessary due to significant blockage of cardiac arteries.

Sensenich's lawyer, Victor Pribanic, is attempting to convince jurors that Morcos performed a series of unnecessary cardiac procedures to enhance his and the hospital's profits.

Dr. Robert Staffen, a doctor with Latrobe Cardiology Associates, testified about the long-simmering feud between his practice and the competing Westmoreland County Cardiology, based in Greensburg.

It was complaints from Staffen and his partners that led Excela to investigate Morcos and Bou Samra, hospital officials have said.

Staffen said his practice would refer patents to Westmoreland County Cardiology for invasive procedures such as stents but had suspicions of patient stealing and, after Morcos and Bou Samra joined the group in 2005 and 2006, allegations of substandard care were raised.

Attorneys for Morcos and the hospital questioned Staffen on Wednesday about his motivation for complaints against Westmoreland County Cardiology doctors and suggested the concerns were based primarily on business issues.

There were a lot of disparaging things said about us, Staffen said.

A defamation lawsuit filed by Morcos and Bou Samra against Latrobe Cardiology and Excela is pending in Allegheny County.

The malpractice trial before Judge Anthony Marsili will resume on Thursday.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.

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Cardiologist: Up to 5 stents Excela patient received were not needed - Tribune-Review