Surgeon is at center of VA hospital deaths
A surgeon with a history of malpractice complaints in Massachusetts was involved in "aggressive, complex surgeries" at a Veterans Affairs medical center in southern Illinois that went beyond what the site could handle, resulting in an increase in deaths, US Senator Richard Durbin said. The VA hired Veizaga-Mendez despite his being barred from practicing in Massachusetts after accusations of grossly substandard care. Nine people died during a six-month period at the VA hospital when the typical mortality rate would have been two, Durban said he was told. "The nine deaths were related to aggressive, complex surgeries that were beyond the normal capacity of the Marion VA hospital," meaning the operations performed were beyond the surgeon's expertise, the equipment was insufficient, or there were not enough medical personnel.
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