A former cardiologist from Austin, Texas, was ordered to pay fines, enroll in educational courses and undergo review by another physician over allegations that he placed too many heart stents in eight patients and caused one man to die, according to an American-Statesman report.
Samuel DeMaio, MD, was ordered by the Texas Medical Board to pay $10,000 along with supervision and courses on ethics, stenting and medical record-keeping.
The board said it found Dr. DeMaio failed to meet the standard of care in treating certain patients in the Austin area between 2004 and mid-2009. Specifically, the board said he placed numerous stents that were often long and overlapped each other in areas of "insignificant or only moderate disease," according to the report.
He also faced allegations that his care resulted in a man's death after he was repeatedly shocked by a defibrillator that the board said should not have been implanted.
The board said it considered mitigating factors when determining Dr. DeMaio's penalty, such as his renewal of his board certification in interventional cardiology in Nov. 2009.
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Samuel DeMaio, MD, was ordered by the Texas Medical Board to pay $10,000 along with supervision and courses on ethics, stenting and medical record-keeping.
The board said it found Dr. DeMaio failed to meet the standard of care in treating certain patients in the Austin area between 2004 and mid-2009. Specifically, the board said he placed numerous stents that were often long and overlapped each other in areas of "insignificant or only moderate disease," according to the report.
He also faced allegations that his care resulted in a man's death after he was repeatedly shocked by a defibrillator that the board said should not have been implanted.
The board said it considered mitigating factors when determining Dr. DeMaio's penalty, such as his renewal of his board certification in interventional cardiology in Nov. 2009.
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Maryland Legislators Consider Banning Physician Gifts Following Stent Investigations