Patient Develops Compartment Syndrome Following Heart Valve Replacement

This case involves a 66-year-old woman who went in for a second heart valve replacement surgery. It was a long surgery that required the patient to be on the bypass machine for 4 hours. Postoperatively, the patient developed a compartment syndrome in her arm because there was an infiltrate in her IV. Multiple experts confirmed that the IV infiltrate should not have occurred and that this causes compartment syndrome, leading to fasciotomies. As a result of these complications, the patient was left in full kidney failure and was told that she will require dialysis for the remainder of her life. A nephrologist was sought to review the records and opine on whether the kidney failure was multi-factorial or due to a single event.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Have you ever seen patients with kidney injury post-compartment syndrome? Please explain.

2. What are some of the most common causes of kidney failure after heart surgery?

Expert Witness Response E-029258

I would be able to provide expert witness evaluation and testimony for this case. I have seen patients with post-compartment syndrome kidney injuries. I wrote the chapter on rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury which includes discussion of these issues including compartment syndrome and AKI. There are many causes of kidney failure after heart surgery.

Expert Bio:

This highly qualified expert is double board certified in internal medicine and nephrology and has been practicing for 20+ years. He has held numerous directorial and professorship positions with top-ranking medical institutions, and he has received numerous awards for his work as both a clinician and an educator. He is widely published with 34+ peer-reviewed journal articles and 16 book chapters. The expert is an elected fellow in a prestigious nephrology society. Currently, he serves as Chief, Director of Clinical Nephrology, and Professor at a major California University.