(L.A.) Stepan Barsegyan, 82, Died in a Hospital

Case Number: 2015-02336

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of an 82-year-old Caucasian male that occurred in a hospital.

The coroner’s office has identified the man as Stepan Barsegyan.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death A: Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage

Cause of Death B: Right Groin Femoral Tunneled Catheter Placement

Cause of Death C: Removal of Malfunctioning Right Internal Jugular Tunneled Dialysis Catheter

Cause of Death D: Chronic Kidney Failure

Other Significant Conditions: Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus

RIP STEPAN BARSEGYAN (April 20, 1932 – April 2, 2015)

Formal pronouncement of death was made at 9:54 p.m. on Thursday.

Why is this an Iatrogenic Accident?

A retroperitoneal hemorrhage is a recognized, though rare, complication of femoral catheter placement and other percutaneous vascular procedures. Such hemorrhages can occur as a direct result of vascular injury during catheter insertion, especially via the femoral route.

Both the placement of a femoral tunneled catheter and the removal of a malfunctioning internal jugular dialysis catheter are medical procedures. The fatal complication (retroperitoneal hemorrhage) arose as a direct result of these interventions, not from the patient’s underlying disease.