A surgeon in Sebring, Fla., is facing complaints surrounding three patient deaths and a wrong organ removed over the course of nine months, the Miami Herald reported Sept. 26.
Gregg Shore, MD, is accused of performing unnecessary surgery, removing the wrong organ and playing a role in three patient deaths, according to state complaints. The Florida Department of Health filed two administrative complaints to start the discipline process, highlighting cases from August 2020 to May 2021.
Here are the five incidents:
1. On Aug. 10, 2020, a patient came to the emergency room with a 2 centimeter gallstone, "evidence of sludge" and was considered to be septic. Dr. Shore evaluated the patient Aug. 11 and scheduled a gallbladder removal for the next morning. During the procedure, he documented active bleeding at the liver bed and placed a drain, according to the complaint, but failed to control the bleeding and failed to document his attempts. The patient died Aug. 13.
2. On Sept. 18, 2020, Dr. Shore performed an elective gallbladder removal in a woman with chronic gallbladder swelling and gallstones. During the procedure, Dr. Shore had a hard time removing the organ and documented a tear involving the liver lobe, which led to "significant bleeding." The patient died after three to four hours of blood transfusions and life support. The complaint said Dr. Shore should have done an abdominal cavity surgery to find and stop the source of bleeding. He settled a civil lawsuit related to this case in April 2022 for $250,000, according to the Herald.
3. On Dec. 6, 2020, Dr. Shore operated on a patient to repair their hernia. During the procedure, Dr. Shore allegedly perforated the patient's small bowel. The complaint said he halted the repair because of the risk of infection with the mesh implant. He did not repair the hernia and the patient became septic, went into cardiac arrest and was revived. Two days later, Dr. Shore performed surgery to repair the bowel perforation, but the patient died later that day. The complaint said Dr. Shore should have tried to repair the hernia without a mesh implant and should not have used a trocar when the patient's abdomen was distended.
4. On April 8, 2021, Dr. Shore evaluated a man and determined he needed a right side mediport. During the procedure, it was discovered that the patient already had a mediport and the surgery was aborted. Dr. Shore's failure to identify the existing mediport in his evaluation resulted in performing a medically unnecessary surgery, according to the complaint.
5. A woman came to HCA Florida Highlands Hospital on May 15, 2021, with what Dr. Shore diagnosed as acute cholecystitis, or a gallbladder with gallstones. He scheduled a gallbladder removal and performed the surgery May 17. The next day, a pathology report said the specimen obtained was a kidney, not a gallbladder.
HCA Florida Highlands Hospital told Becker's in a statement, "The health and well-being of our patients is our top priority. Dr. Shore is not part of our medical staff and he has not treated patients at our hospital for more than two years."