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Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n
A 25-year-old went in for outpatient knee procedure in a Weston surgical center. By the end of the day, he\u2019d suffered severe brain damage. He died 80 days later.<\/p>\n
A Florida Department of Health administrative complaint says the surgery\u2019s anesthesiologist, Dr. Sergio Pinto-Torres, fell short of the standard of care.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Pinto-Torres] fell below the minimum<\/a> standard of care in his treatment of Patient LV by not maintaining his blood pressure within normal limits throughout his surgery on Feb. 13, 2020,\u201d the complaint said, \u201cand\/or failing to maintain a secure airway to ensure proper oxygen saturation to the body.\u201d<\/p>\n Online state insurance records say Pinto-Torres\u2019 medical liability insurance paid<\/a> $250,000 in this case.<\/p>\n Administrative complaints start the process that ends at the state Board of Medicine with either exoneration or punitive action.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Unqualified anesthesiologist in butt-lift death lost her license. The surgeon hasn\u2019t<\/a><\/p>\n Online license information from the Florida Department of Health show Pinto-Torres has a clean discipline record since acquiring his Florida license in October 1990. He\u2019s been board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology since 1995.<\/p>\n Pinto-Torres did not respond to a phone call or email from the Miami Herald.<\/p>\n In for knee surgery, out with brain damage<\/p>\n What follows comes from the administrative complaint.<\/p>\n Patient LV was 25 years old on Feb. 13, 2020, when he went to Weston Outpatient Surgical Center for a complete repair of his left knee\u2019s anterior cruciate ligament.<\/p>\n READ MORE: A South Florida psychiatrist asked two patients to take off clothes, state says<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThroughout the course of the surgery, [Pinto-Torres] placed Patient LV\u201d in a \u201cprolonged state\u201d of lowered blood pressure, the complaint said, dropping the patient\u2019s blood pressure between 70\/30 and 80\/40. This, the complaint said, creates risk for heart attack, various kinds of strokes, organ damage, blindness and other health issues.<\/p>\n Post-surgery, \u201cPatient LV did not awaken from surgery for several hours and was transferred to Cleveland Clinic with a laryngeal mask airway (which keeps the airway open during anesthesia) in place,\u201d the complaint said. \u201cUpon arrival at Cleveland Clinic, Patient LV had oxygen saturation in the 80s and was immediately intubated.\u201d<\/p>\n Radiology studies at Cleveland Clinic showed \u201cPatient LV had suffered a diffuse hypoxic ischemic injury to the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a dangerous condition that happens when your brain doesn\u2019t get enough blood and oxygen,\u201d the Cleveland Clinic said. \u201cIt\u2019s common among newborns who experience a difficult birth. It can be fatal or cause permanent brain damage<\/a> in severe cases.\u201d<\/p>\n Patient LV died on May 3, 2020.<\/p>\n