A Carson City doctor being investigated by the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners for malpractice may be forced to shut his doors for good, amid a pile of lawsuits filed by former patients.
Dr. Kent Edward Skogerson, a Carson City doctor specializing in abdominal, neck and colon surgery, is being sued by three of his former patients for injuries they allegedly suffered as a result of abdominal surgery he performed.
The Investigative Committee of the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners filed a formal complaint of malpractice against Skogerson June 22 after learning of Skogerson's surgery on a Carson City woman in January 2002.
Nevada Board of Medical Examiners General Counsel Stephen Quinn said Skogerson performed several medical procedures on the woman, including surgery on her esophagus to relieve severe heartburn symptoms.
The surgery, called a laparascopic Nissen fundoplication, included placing an artificial sphincter or "wrap" on part of her esophagus. The wrap was too tight, causing difficulty in swallowing.
Skogerson tried to stretch out the wrap, but the woman's problems persisted, Quinn said, so Skogerson performed an "undo" of the original surgery.
She went to another specialist at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center to get another fundoplication, which alleviated all of her painful symptoms, Quinn said.
Skogerson's lawyer Patrick King said the state medical board's investigation is standard procedure for any complaint filed against a doctor, and a complaint does not mean Skogerson is guilty of malpractice.
It was the third time one of Skogerson's patients had to seek a redo for the same procedure, according to court documents.
A lawsuit filed in November 2002 against Skogerson by Reno resident Alvan Donnan accuses Skogerson of gross negligence, including the application of a fundoplication that was too tight.
Dr. James Badger, an expert in the field of gastrointestinal surgery at Stanford University Hospital consulted by Donnan's attorney, wrote in signed court documents that "the fundoplications performed by Dr. Skogerson were faulty, excessively tight and well below the standard of care."
Donnan is demanding monetary damages of more than $20,000. His case is scheduled for a jury trial in July 2005.
Tom and Jo Anne Smith of Carson City filed a lawsuit against Skogerson in May 2003, accusing the doctor of inflicting emotional and physical injury through negligence before, during and after he performed a fundoplication on Tom Smith. Jo Anne Smith claims she has suffered a loss of her husband's consortium. The couple is seeking more than $10,000 each. No trial date has been scheduled.
Earlier this year, Skogerson left his staff position at Carson-Tahoe Hospital when the hospital board of trustees put a moratorium on all bariatric surgery. Commonly known as stomach stapling or weight loss surgery, the moratorium was imposed following the death of one of Skogerson's bariatric surgery patients, a 31-year-old woman.
King said the hospital board's decision severely damaged Skogerson's reputation, and is putting him out of business.
"(Skogerson) has been forced to shut down his practice," King said. "It could happen within this month. It's just reprehensible."
Skogerson filed a lawsuit against the hospital alleging the board committed commercial assassination, defamation, breach of contract and "negligence of the most repugnant sort."
Six of Skogerson's patients also filed a lawsuit against the hospital, claiming the hospital acted in bad faith and endangered their health by canceling scheduled surgeries.
No trial date has been set in Skogerson's or his patients' cases against Carson-Tahoe Hospital.
A woman who answered the phone Friday at Skogerson's Washington Street office said the doctor was out.
Contact Robyn Moormeister at rmoormeister@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.
