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Texas Heart Doctor Accused Of Eight Unnecessary Surgeries

Travis County heart doctor Samuel DeMaio is under fire from both his former patients and the Texas Medical Board. Recently, the Texas Medical Board has accused him of performing unnecessary surgeries on at least eight of his patients, one of which died from complications of the operations. At the same time, five of the 58-year-old cardiologist’s former patients have filed Texas medical malpractice lawsuits against the doctor for similar medical mistakes and unnecessary stent operations. It is unclear how much overlap exists between the two groups of patients.

DeMaio, who is chairman of the group working to open Lakeway Regional Medical Center in the spring of 2012, says that the accusations are part of a smear campaign and that his stent operations do not seem reasonable because he treats a number of patients with complex heart problems.  The doctor, who was practicing in El Paso, is planning a return to Austin soon. He is scheduled for a mediation session with the Texas Medical Board in January, where he could face fines or a medical license suspension. His medical malpractice cases are pending in court.

DeMaio allegedly has placed more than 30 stents in one patient alone, and inserted more than 20 stents into his patient who died of pacemaker complications. In 2006, two of his colleagues reported his overuse of stents as well as a possible substance abuse problem. Normally doctors will place no more than one or two stents in a heart patient. Putting in more than a few stents can have serious consequences, including blood clotting and heart attack.

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