Vegas urologist faces malpractice suit in patient’s death
The widow of a 72-year-old man who died last year has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Las Vegas urologist who treated him.
Connie Mulick filed the complaint Feb. 11 in Clark County District Court against Dr. Michael Kaplan, who was convicted in September in an unrelated criminal case involving reuse of needle guides meant for single use during prostate procedures.
Mulick filed the lawsuit individually and as the personal representative of her husband’s estate.
According to the lawsuit, Mulick’s husband, Edward, was examined by Kaplan in the emergency room at St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena campus on Feb. 12, 2014, for treatment of a urinary condition. Various catheters were placed into Edward Mulick’s bladder. Later, during a surgical procedure, a bladder perforation was found, along with a bladder tumor.
According to the lawsuit, Edward Mulick’s heart stopped, and he was resuscitated. He also developed renal failure.
Edward Mulick remained in critical condition until his death on Feb. 17, 2014. The Clark County coroner’s office ruled his death was caused by complications of the bladder perforation.
The lawsuit claims Kaplan “fell below the standard of care in his treatment” and his conduct caused Edward Mulick “to incur unnecessary medical treatment, which ultimately led to Mulick’s premature death.”
Connie Mulick and her husband’s estate are represented by attorneys at Bowen Law Offices.
A message left with Kaplan’s answering service late Tuesday was not immediately returned.
In September, a federal jury found Kaplan guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit adulteration in connection with his reuse of needle guides.
Prosecutors contended that Kaplan, who has practiced medicine in Nevada since 1991, ignored warning labels on needle guide packages prohibiting reuse. Patients were not told about the reuse.
Kaplan’s medical license was suspended briefly in March 2011 after a joint investigation by the FDA and Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.
The Southern Nevada Health District sent letters to 101 of his patients, advising them to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C. The district did not report a positive case among the patients.
Kaplan’s sentencing in the criminal case is scheduled for Feb. 24.
Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710. Find her on Twitter: @CarriGeer.