Riser V. American Medical Int L, Inc. Case Study

The case of Riser v. American Medical Int’l, Inc. is about a malpractice action brought on by the children of patient Mrs. Riser claiming that their mothers death was a result of a medical error in which death occurred in performing a procedure on the wrong location. The procedure that should have been performed was a bilateral brachial arteriogram and what was alternately performed was a femoral arteriogram. The patient, Mrs. Riser had many previous health issues which included diabetes, end stage renal failure, and arteriosclerosis. She was experiencing decreased circulation in her lower arms and legs therefore she was admitted to the hospital. Her doctor, Dr. Sottiurai had ordered her to have bilateral arteriograms to see what could be the cause of the poor circulation. The hospital that Dr. Sottiurai was located were unable to perform the procedure, so she was transferred to another hospital under another doctor by the name of Dr. Lang who performed the procedure on the incorrect location, the procedure was performed on the thigh instead of the elbows. The procedure seemed to go well, however shortly after her procedure her condition started to deteriorate and ultimately she suffered from a stroke 11 days after and passed away. Her children filed a lawsuit claiming that the incorrect procedure was performed and that the patient had not consented to

Riser overall. Utilitarian ethics is the belief that an action (for example the procedure) would have had worth, benefited or maximized utility. The standard of care was not followed; Mrs. Riser should have been given more information about the different treatment options available and proper consent should have also been given as to the correct procedure. It was later discovered that this procedure was not the best option given the patients previous health issues and Dr. Lang pressed for the femoral