Tracie A. Vizza and associate, Sarah Holtzhauer, obtained a defense verdict in Philadelphia County in a case where it was alleged that a podiatrist failed to appropriately appreciate symptoms of a neurological issue and failed to refer the patient to a neurologist.
The patient had seen the foot and ankle surgeon on two occasions, over a three month period and it was contested as to what complaints were made at each visit. Although the patient testified that she complained of radiating numbness and pain down her legs to her feet at each visit, the physician testified that she only first made those complaints at the second visit. The patient argued that the physician never recommended nor referred her to a neurologist for a
comprehensive work up at either visit. However, the surgeon noted multiple times in the chart and testified convincingly that he had directed the patient to see a neurologist, advising that her complaints appeared to have a neurological cause. Despite the patient’s claims, she did obtain a
neurology consult the following month after the second visit with the podiatrist, but failed to see the neurologist for several months thereafter. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with a spinal AVM and required several spinal procedures.
The jury found in favor of the podiatrist.