THE MOTION TO SET ASIDE THE VERDICT APPORTIONING LIABILITY TO THE GYNECOLOGIST WHO NOTED IN HIS REPORT HE FOUND “NO ABNORMALITIES” SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED; PLAINTIFF DID NOT PROVE THE NOTATION MISLED THE PRIMARY CARE PHYICIAN RESULTING IN A DELAY IN DIAGNOSING APPENDICITIS (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendant Dr. Subramanyam’s motion to set aside the verdict apportioning liability to him in this medical malpractice case should have been granted. Plaintiff experienced abdominal and was referred by her primary physician (defendant Dr. Selitsky) to Dr. Subramanyam for a gynecological exam. Dr. Subramanyam’ noted in his report that “no abnormalities” were found. Plaintiff argued the “no abnormalities” finding misled Dr. Selitsky causing a delay in diagnosis of plaintiff’s appendicitis:
We find that the record was insufficient to support the jury’s findings that Dr. Subramanyam’s notation of “no abnormalities” misled Dr. Selitsky, who was plaintiff’s primary care physician, and thereby delayed plaintiff’s treatment for appendicitis.
Defendant Dr. Selitsky, testified that she did not rely upon Dr. Subramanyam’s sonogram report in ruling in or out the possibility of appendicitis, a diagnosis she already had considered as part of her differential diagnosis. She further testified that her referral of plaintiff to Dr. Subramanyam was solely to determine whether the source of plaintiff’s pain was gynecological in origin. Furthermore, Dr. Selitsky testified that while she assumed that she had received a copy of the report, she could not recall reading it, and, if she had read it, when she did so. Dr. Subramanyam also testified that it was not within his role to provide recommendations in his report or advise physicians what they should do next. Ameziani v Subramanyam, 2023 NY Slip Op 01759, First Dept 4-4-23
Practice Point: Defendant primary care doctor referred plaintiff to defendant gynecologist to determine the cause of abdominal pain. The gynecologist noted in his report he found “no abnormalities.” Plaintiff alleged that notation misled the primary care physician causing delay in the diagnosis of appendicitis. The appellate division set aside the verdict against the gynecologist.