| Complaint: | Complaint 18-109 |
|---|---|
| Respondent: | Staci Brigham |
| Premises: | VetMed |
| Related: | 18-110, 18-111, 18-112, 18-113 |
The complainant makes accusations of a large cover-up at VetMed and another clinic. Her dog went to VetMed and was initially seen by Brigham who is said to have performed an AFAST ultrasound but the complainant worries because no images from this exist. She also believes that a full ultrasound rather than an AFAST ultrasound should have been performed prior to surgery. She also says that she told VetMed that if the uterus was to be removed she would also like them to examine the spleen for signs of hemangiosarcoma, which her dog's breed is said to be predisposed to. She says that she did not sign off on the "abdominal explore" in the records.
Brigham recounts the events from her side. She notes that the dog came in after having been unwell, performed an initial exam on the dog that revealed several typical signs of pyometra, and confirmed this with an AFAST ultrasound. She also confirms that the complainant asked for the dog's spleen to be evaluated but also says she asked about a possible splenectomy; Brigham replied that would only occur if there were a problem with the spleen. The actual surgery was handled by Radlinsky, another surgeon there.
The Investigative Committee found that any surgery is really just an exploratory surgery so calling the surgery an "abdominal explore" was acceptable. They also state that the following health issues the dog suffered (detailed in later complaints) was caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa as detected from cultures taken during the surgery.
| Source: | September 9, 2018 PM Investigative Committee Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| Staci Brigham | Respondent |
| W Reed Campbell | Respondent Attorney |
| Roll Call: | |
| Adam Almaraz | Aye |
| Amrit Rai | Aye |
| Christine Butkiewicz | Aye |
| Donald Noah | Aye |
| William Hamilton | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
| Source: | October 10, 2018 Board Meeting |
|---|---|
| People: | |
| David Stoll | Respondent Attorney |
| Proposed By: | Darren Wright |
| Seconded By: | Sarah Heinrich |
| Roll Call: | |
| Christina Bertch-Mumaw | Recused |
| Darren Wright | Aye |
| J Greg Byrne | Absent |
| Jessica Creager | Absent |
| Jim Loughead | Aye |
| Julie Young | Aye |
| Nikki Frost | Aye |
| Robyn Jaynes | Recused |
| Sarah Heinrich | Aye |
| Result: | Passed |
The primary source for the above summary was obtained as a public record from the Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board. You are welcome to review the original records and board meeting minutes by clicking the relevant links. While we endeavor to provide an accurate summary of the complaint, response, investigative reports and board actions, we encourage you to review the primary sources and come to your own conclusions. In some cases we have also been able to reach out to individuals with knowledge of specific complaints, and where possible that information will be included here.