Opinion ID: 1976643
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Arthrodesis

Text: The second procedure of which Ms. Corbett complains, the arthrodesis or attempted knee fusion, occurred on October 31, 1980. Appellants argue that Ms. Corbett should have brought her action within two years of the procedure, or at the very latest, within two years of when she first learned from Dr. Greene that the fusion performed by Dr. Weisband didn't take. Dr. Greene first examined her and spoke to her on September 8, 1981, so Dr. Weisband and ROPA contend that any action as to the arthrodesis is necessarily time-barred as of September 8, 1983, five days before her suit was filed. We address the latter contention first. Dr. Weisband and ROPA contend that Ms. Corbett's lack of consent claim should have been time-barred as of September 8, 1983 because, they allege, Dr. Greene told her on September 8, 1981 that a fusion had been performed by Dr. Weisband and that it had failed. Since such a statement would have put her on notice that an unauthorized procedure had been carried out, they argue, judgment n.o.v. should have been granted. We disagree, and hold that the testimony of record is such that two reasonable minds could differ as to whether Ms. Corbett understood that an unauthorized medical procedure had been performed on her. First, Dr. Greene's testimony is in conflict. He did not testify at trial. Rather, his videotape deposition was played for the jury and entered into the record on that basis. The deposition testimony which Dr. Weisband asserts shows that Ms. Corbett should have been put on notice that a fusion had been performed centered on a note which Dr. Greene recorded concerning Ms. Corbett's visit to him on September 8, 1981. In the course of the deposition Mr. Schell, who by this time was serving as counsel to Dr. Weisband and ROPA, asked Dr. Greene to read part of the note. The excerpt read by Dr. Greene indicated that a fusion had been performed in the past, and that it did not succeed. There is no indication of record that Ms. Corbett was given a copy of the note to read. However, Dr. Greene testified in the deposition that he told her that the fusion didn't take. T.T., December 10, 1985 at 157. Importantly, later in the deposition, Dr. Greene was asked by Mr. Finney whether he recalled telling Ms. Corbett on September 8th that the prior operation had been an attempted fusion of the knee. Dr. Greene answered, [n]o, I did not. There wouldn't have been any reason for me to say that to her. T.T., December 10, 1985 at 181. Thus, the two statements by Dr. Greene are in conflict. Considering the above ambiguous testimony regarding Dr. Greene's statements to Ms. Corbett on September 8, 1981, along with testimony by Ms. Corbett that she was not told of the procedure and the recognition by all parties that no signed consent form for the arthrodesis is in existence, we hold that the testimony of record could support the jury's finding that Ms. Corbett did not know, and through the exercise of reasonable diligence could not have known, until after September 13, 1981, that a procedure which she had not authorized had been performed on her. Since reasonable minds could differ on this issue, the trial judge properly denied the motion for judgment n.o.v. Next, we consider Dr. Weisband and ROPA's claim that Ms. Corbett knew or should have known within two years of October 31, 1980 that the arthrodesis had been negligently performed. In addressing this issue, it is important to place into perspective Ms. Corbett's condition, as perceived by her, when she initially came under Dr. Weisband's care in December 1978, and during the two years leading up to the procedure of October 31, 1980. To reiterate, she had experienced chronic knee problems since the 1930's. The problems were serious enough that she was using a cane prior to 1978. After Dr. DeMoura performed surgery on her knee in July 1978, she experienced pain in the knee, it did not heal, and it became infected. During the autumn of 1978 she was again hospitalized for her knee condition. She testified, I was in sort of like a daze because my leg was aggravating me so much until I didn't exactly know what was happening. T.T., December 2, 1985 at 19. She continued in therapy for several months because my leg had been bothering me so much and I couldn't work and do nothing. I couldn't get around like I wanted to get around. Id. at 20-21. Ms. Corbett testified that in early 1979, after the December 1978 procedure by Dr. Weisband, she had difficulty walking. Her leg was wrapped from her ankle to the middle of her thigh, and it hurt a lot. She wore a brace, and walked with the aid of crutches and a cane. Dr. Weisband saw her as an outpatient on many occasions in 1979 and 1980. He testified that on January 16, 1979 Ms. Corbett complained of pain due to a grinding sensation in her left knee. On February 13, 1979 she complained that her knee was giving out. The doctor observed that she was walking with a limp, or a guarded gait, and he prescribed a brace. On July 2, 1979 Ms. Corbett again complained of pain, although she was still using the brace. In Ms. Corbett's visit to the office on October 23, 1979 Dr. Weisband noted that the [l]eft knee is unstable in all planes, and that it continued to give out despite the use of a brace. T.T., December 11, 1985 at 60. Dr. Weisband testified that he believed in 1979 that a fusion could alleviate some of Ms. Corbett's pain. However, he told her such a procedure could not be done at this time because of medication she was taking to prevent blood clots. Instead, the doctor ordered a much larger knee brace, called a Lennox Hill brace, for her. T.T., December 11, 1985 at 61. In February 1980, Ms. Corbett complained of burning in her knee, despite the use of the Lennox Hill brace. On September 4, 1980, Ms. Corbett saw another ROPA associate, Dr. Mogil, and told him that she had severe pain in her knee and was unable to stand on it for more than three minutes. As of September 18, 1980, Ms. Corbett was no longer taking medication for blood thinner, so the ROPA doctors made preparations for her to be admitted to Metropolitan Hospital for an arthrodesis procedure. These preparations included the ordering of an expensive compression device for use in the arthrodesis procedure. The surgery was carried out on October 31, 1980. Given Ms. Corbett's lengthy prior history of discomfort, immobility and suffering involving her knee, we do not agree with Dr. Weisband and ROPA's contention that the jury was not justified in finding that Ms. Corbett could not have discovered prior to September 13, 1981 that the arthrodesis was negligently performed. To the contrary, the record indicates with startling clarity that Ms. Corbett's pain continued unabated throughout her treatment by Dr. Weisband and Dr. Greene. Therefore, the jury properly concluded that reasonable minds could differ on the issue of Ms. Corbett's knowledge of her injuries, i.e., Dr. Weisband's negligently performed arthrodesis, and the trial court properly denied the motion for judgment n.o.v. Where the appropriate standard of conduct required of a plaintiff for the protection of her interests is at issue, a determination thereof is properly left to the jury. Petri v. Smith, 307 Pa.Super. 261, 453 A.2d 342 (1982). In Petri, our Court held that the question of whether the causal relationship between the injuries sustained by plaintiff's son at childbirth and the delivering physician was knowable to the plaintiff prior to the running of the statute of limitations, was a jury question. Id. Accord, Taylor v. Tukanowicz, 290 Pa.Super. 581, 435 A.2d 181 (1981); Irrera v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 231 Pa.Super. 508, 331 A.2d 705 (1974). See also, Smith v. Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, 397 Pa. 134, 153 A.2d 477 (1959) (Whether statute of limitations has run on a claim is usually a question of law for the judge, but where the issue involves a factual determination, i.e., what is a reasonable period, the determination is for the jury). In conclusion, the trial court properly denied Dr. Weisband and ROPA's motion for judgment n.o.v. because the jury had adequate evidence on which to base its decision that Ms. Corbett was justified in not knowing, prior to September 13, 1981, of the injuries inflicted upon her by Dr. Weisband.