Medical-Legal Triage: The Anesthesiologist Brain Surgeon

An attorney facing summary judgment managed to get a neurosurgery expert in an intraoperative brachial plexus injury matter to opine not only about the neurosurgical standard of care, but also about the anesthesiology standard of care.

His reasoning was, “Well, the neurosurgeon has been in the operating room “plenty of times” with anesthesiologists, so can opine about their standard of care.”  Of course, the quid pro quo must be that because anesthesiologists have been in the operating room ‘plenty of times’ with neurosurgeons removing brain tumors, they are totally qualified to be experts against neurosurgeons regarding standard of care in the removal of brain tumors.