A jury in a Florida state court cleared David Vastola, MD, on Aug. 16, of all responsibilities in a case a patient brought against him, CVN reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. Dr. Vastola was accused by a former patient of conducting a "slapdash colonoscopy." The patient developed colon cancer 18 months after Dr. Vastola performed a colonoscopy in 2011.
2. Dr. Vastola performed a second colonoscopy in 2013 and found the disease had spread.
3. A gastroenterology expert for the patient said Dr. Vastola's colonoscopy allegedly did not meet the standard of care, based on lax record keeping and the polyps discovered in 2013.
4. The defense argued Dr. Vastola's colonoscopy did meet medical standards. They argued the cancer wasn't discovered during that procedure because "it didn't exist or was imperceptible."
5. Dr. Vastola's lawyer argued the patient's cancer was a statistical outlier.
6. The jury reached its verdict after 90 minutes of deliberating, clearing Dr. Vastola of all responsibility.