BECKLEY – An Oakvale man who underwent cardiac surgery in 2012 is suing the doctor and medical facilities that he believes shouldn't have recommended that he get a stent in addition to an angioplasty.
According to a lawsuit filed in Raleigh Circuit Court, Shawn Poore filed a complaint against Raleigh General Hospital LLC, Dr. Donald Kenneth Glaser, Lifepoint Hospitals Inc. and Lifepoint WV Holdings Inc.
Poore, 38, was transferred from Princeton Community Hospital to Raleigh General Hospital on Dec. 3, 2012. Suffering chest pain and shortness of breath, he went to the emergency room, then was admitted, at which point a cardiology consultation was ordered, the lawsuit states.
Glaser was asked to consult on the case, and he advised the patient to get a cardiac catheterization, according to the lawsuit. The operation was performed the next day, the lawsuit states, and during the procedure, Glaser inserted a stent in the the plaintiff's right coronary artery "that was not medically necessary."
For financial gain, the lawsuit asserts that a balloon angioplasty and stent was performed, but defendants "continued to conceal the impropriety until mid-January 2015, when an agent for the defendants contacted Mr. Poore by telephone."
According to the lawsuit, the defendants are responsible for causing the plaintiff to have unnecessary medical bills and to take additional medication for the rest of his life.
The plaintiff, citing five civil counts, seeks economic, noneconomic and punitive damages, as well as interest and taxable court costs. The plaintiff is represented by Ben Salango and Brett Preston of Preston and Salango in Charleston.
Raleigh Circuit Court case no. 15-C-368-K.