The Board finds that the veteran's death from cardiac tamponade, which occurred during an attempt at ablation of the ectopic focus, was not the result of negligence, carelessness, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or an event not reasonably foreseeable.
The deciding factor: The VA cardiologist concluded that the perforation of the left ventricle leading to cardiac tamponade during electrical ablation for a known condition (cardiac arrhythmia) was a reasonably foreseeable complication and not due to negligence or fault on the part of VA medical providers.
- Claimed conditions
- Cardiac tamponade, Perforation of the left ventricle
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2009
- Citation
- 0904863
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
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