IA Podiatrist Testifies Pin Placement in Tibia Within Scope of Practice
Asked what he considered "ridiculous questions" about the definition of an ankle, Dr. Vincent Mandracchia pointed to the tibia bone on a model skeleton and offered his assessment:"That is the ankle," he told plaintiff’s attorney Daniel M. Key before the defense rested its case in a trial pitting the patient against The Finley Hospital.
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Dr. Vincent Mandracchia |
Key's cross-examining Mandracchia revolved on a definition from the Iowa Administrative Code that says, "as used in this chapter, 'human foot' means the ankle and soft tissue which insert into the foot as well as the foot." Finley's attorney Mark Zaiger asked Mandracchia, president of the Iowa Podiatric Medical Society, to put his testimony in context. The doctor explained that for the purposes of working on the ankle, a pin could be placed in the tibia bone by a podiatrist to secure a circular frame if needed. Mandracchia said meeting minutes from the Iowa Board of Podiatry Examiners in 2007 state, "if pins were being used to stabilize a procedure on the foot with pins on the tibia [that is] well within the scope of a podiatrist."
The final emotional exchange between Mandracchia and Key capped Finley's case after calling witnesses for just two of the trial's 13 days. The credentialing process of the hospital also was at the heart of Wednesday's testimony. Mandracchia, who also is the chief medical officer of Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, testified to Arnz's experience, saying there was "absolutely" no reason why the hospital should not have granted privileges to him.
Source: Matthew Ryno, Dubuque Telegraph Herald, [12/20/07]
Editor’s note: The jury deliberated and rendered a defense verdict in favor of Finley Hospital.
