A Florida man died after getting knee pain checked. A state complaint blames the doctor
The Florida Department of Health filed an administrative complaint against a Tampa area doctor after a patient he treated for left knee pain and swelling suddenly died.
The complaint, which starts the process toward potential discipline, is the only disciplinary action listed on the online license entry for Dr. Rathinam Krishnamoorthy, who has been licensed in Florida since August 1982.
The complaint says “K.D.,” a 62-year-old man, saw Krishnamoorthy at Brandon Regional Hospital on Oct. 10, 2020. The purpose of the visit: For three days after a knee injury, his swollen, painful left knee hadn’t been able to bear weight.
High blood pressure, obesity, knee arthritis and blood clots in a deep vein of his right leg all were part of KD’s medical history. He’d been on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as well as, for a while in 2019, an anticoagulant.
The complaint says during the five days Krishnamoorthy treated K.D., the doctor “failed to assess and treat the patient’s elevated risk for deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities and pulmonary embolism.”
Those are the medical terms for deep vein blood clots in the legs and blood clots.
K.D. died when his heart stopped suddenly on Oct. 15, 2020. The complaint says the autopsy put the cause on left leg blood clots and “massive saddle pulmonary embolism,” which healthline.com says is “when a large blood clot gets stuck where the main pulmonary artery branches off into a Y-shape to go into each lung. The name refers to the fact that the clot “saddles” on top of both branch arteries.”
The complaint says Krishnamoorthy’s alleged failure listed above counts as “falling below the standard of care” and “committing medical malpractice.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 3:11 PM.
