Improper medical procedures performed at Pennsylvania Hospital

Heart-related operations might have been performed unnecessarily at University facilities.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System announced on Wednesday that Vidya Banka — who had medical privileges but is not employed at Pennsylvania Hospital, which is a part of Penn Medicine — might have performed unrequired stent procedures at the hospital’s facilities. A stent is a hollow metal tube that helps support and unblock the artery into which it is placed.

According to a statement from UPHS, both the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine have been notified of these findings. The statement also called the current situation “isolated” and maintained that UPHS is committed to “providing the highest quality care to every patient.”

This determination was made after a review of a sample of Banka’s cases in conjunction with outside cardiovascular experts. The review showed that “some patients received cardiac stents where the patient testing did not appear to show significant vascular blockages,” according to Penn’s statement.

Medical researcher at the Penn Cardiovascular Institute Kenneth Margulies explained that an appropriate use of stents would be in “an artery that has a significant blockage that you expect is contributing to a patient’s symptoms.”

Normally, this operation is performed when 70 percent of the diameter of the artery is blocked, according to Margulies. He said that at this percentage there is a “significant” loss of blood flow, as compared to a blockage of only 50 percent.

“You can put stents in lots of lesser blockages,” Margulies added, “but it really might not be appropriate.”

UPHS announced that it would be contacting patients who had cardiac stents placed by Banka to notify them of them of its findings. It will also assist patients in arranging to see a Penn cardiologist at no cost or to have their records transferred to another physician if requested.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Public Affairs Officer Patricia Hartman had no comment due to the office’s policy not to confirm or deny the existence of investigations. Banka did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Banka has voluntarily resigned his privileges from using Pennsylvania Hospital facilities, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs of Penn Medicine Susan Phillips said in an email.

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