A Broward doctor did a procedure on the wrong leg, the state says. He got fined
A Pembroke Pines doctor did diagnostic work on a patient’s right leg, which turned out to be the wrong leg, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Dr. David Feldbaum was fined $7,000 along with other punitive actions in the settlement agreement that posted last week along with the Florida Board of Medicine’s final order on the case.
Feldbaum’s online Department of Health license profile shows no other disciplinary actions on the Florida license he has held since November 1999. His address of record is the Vein & Vascular Center of South Florida, and he’s one of the physicians listed on that website.
Two legs, left and wrong
According to the Department of Health’s administrative complaint, Patient BD was referred to Feldbaum to discuss an arterial blockage and left leg pain. Her cardiologist’s arterial duplex study, as described by Cedars Sinai, an ultrasound that produces a color map of leg arteries, found good right leg arterial flow but blockage in the left leg, which can cause leg pains.
The popliteal artery, a National Center for Biotechnology Information article explains, is a continuation of an artery out of the thigh and “the primary supplier of blood to the distal lower extremity.”
Feldbaum scheduled BD for an angiogram on Sept. 17, 2019. During an angiogram, the Mayfield Brain & Spine center says “a long flexible catheter is inserted through the blood stream to deliver dye (contrast agent) into the arteries, making them visible on the x-ray.”
“[Feldbaum’s] preop orders for the Sept. 17, 2019, angiogram include a request for a left leg angiogram consent from BD,” the administrative complaint says. “[Feldbaum’s] preop notes indicate [Feldbaum] intended to perform a left popliteal stick.
“On Sept. 17, 2019, [Feldbaum] performed a right popliteal stick on BD.”
In addition to the $7,000 fine, the Board of Medicine issued a letter of concern against Feldbaum’s license. He’s also required to pay the Department of Health’s investigation and prosecution costs of $6,740.31. He also must complete two hours of continuing medical education on prevention of medical errors as well as either a five-hour continuing medical education course or attend a full day of Board of Medicine disciplinary hearings.
This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 10:17 AM.
