Surgery: Cardiovascular Surgery Expert Witnesses: 5

Elite Medical Experts is a physician-led team that hand selects nationally recognized Professors of Medicine and Surgery as expert witnesses. Each expert is a board-certified specialist with a busy clinical practice and impeccable credentials.  From Stanford to Yale, and from every healthcare specialty and field, Elite aligns leading specialists from top-tier medical universities.

Actionable benefits to our clients:

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     ♦  Work directly with hand-selected university experts screened for your specific case.

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Please call [877] 670-8625 to speak directly with our in-house Case Strategy Team. There's no charge for phone or video consultation consultation and we'll outline a a strategic plan for moving forward.

Dr. Burton Bentley II, M.D., FAAEM
CEO, Elite Medical Experts

Areas of Expertise:

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Robert A. Ertner, MD, is a Board Certified, fellowship-trained Cardiac Anesthesiologist in full-time clinical practice at a Northern California county hospital that serves as a level 2 trauma center. Dr. Ertner has been a certified Echocardiographer for 15 years. He specializes in Cardiac and Thoracic surgical procedures for which he is fellowship-trained.

Background: Dr. Ertner has previously served as an academic physician teaching residents in both MD and CRNA programs.  He has served as a locum tenens anesthesiologist performing direct care and both supervising and directing CRNAs, and presently provides care to over 700 patients each year. He provides Spinal, Epidural, Regional, and General Anesthesia for patients undergoing cardiovascular and thoracic procedures as well as general, orthopedic, bariatric, urologic, vascular, otorhinolaryngological (ENT), ophthalmologic, gynecologic, and neurologic surgery in both the hospital inpatient and outpatient surgery center settings.   He provides care for obstetric patients in the labor and delivery suites and operating rooms.  Additionally, he provides care for a variety of procedures performed “out-of-department,” such as in the cardiac catheterization suites, the interventional radiology suites, and CT and MRI cases.  

Dr. Ertner maintains licenses in California where his practice is located, as well as in Texas and Georgia, where he trained, and in Missouri and Oregon. He was awarded Diplomat status by the National Board of Echocardiography in 2007.

Litigation Support: Dr. Ertner has been involved in medical-legal work since 2014. He has reviewed cases for attorneys representing both plaintiff and defense. Dr. Ertner has consulted on over 85 cases, including preparation of affidavits, forensic report writing, and providing testimony at deposition and trial. He works with clients to offer both an understanding of the relevant medicine (anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology, etc.) and how to think about what information they need to seek going forward as they pursue their cases.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Thomas J. Berger was board certified in 1981 as a cardiac surgeon by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and has been involved, as an expert, in over 300 medical malpractice cases. Most of this experience has been since 1998, when his firm, Heart of the Matter Expertise, began to gain recognition, within the legal community, as the premier expert witness service for cases involving cardiac surgery and cardio-thoracic disease.

Areas of Expertise:

• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Cardiology
• Surgery - General
• Thoracic Surgery

Mission Statement

To see that the truth about every case, in which an associate of Heart of the Matter Expertise becomes involved, is uncovered and understood, whether this means assuring justice for a poorly treated patient or protecting the precious reputation of an unfairly accused physician.

Dr. Andreas Plackis is an award-winning, triple board-certified Anesthesiologist and Cardiac Anesthesiologist. He is Vanderbilt residency and cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship trained, and in full-time clinical practice with hands-on patient care and supervision of CRNAs and SRNAs.

Dr. Plackis provides care for the highest acuity patients practicing at the only heart transplant center in Arkansas. One of a select few Arkansas anesthesiologists providing TEE imaging guidance for structural heart interventions.

Litigation Support - Dr. Plackis will assist either plaintiff or defense attorneys in establishing standard of care compliance and identifying breaches in anesthesiology medical malpractice cases. His services include written reports, deposition testimony, and trial testimony as needed. He is highly responsive to phone calls and emails. Two-week or less turnaround time for initial case opinion.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Plackis is an experienced and articulate public speaker and presenter with multiple publications and local/national presentations. He has exemplary knowledge base as achieved a Top 1-3 percentile ranking nationally compared to peers in nearly all ABA licensing and training examinations. Diplomat of the ABA and NBE.

Dr. James Strader, Jr., MD, FACC is a full-time practicing General Invasive Cardiologist, experienced in all areas of cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Strader is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Nuclear Cardiology. He is currently the Chief of Cardiology at The Medical Center of Plano, TX. Dr. Strader possesses Expert knowledge of Cardio Vascular Imaging and Therpeutic Procedures, including cath lab, TEE, echocardiography, stress testing, and arrhythma testing. He also has special expertise in Aeromedical Cardiology and Return-To-Flight-Status Decisions.

A published author in his field of expertise, Dr. Strader has given Presentation and Lectures both nationally and internationally. His most recent awards include "Cardiologist of the Year” from The Medical Center of Plano in 2011 and the Max R. Ungar Award from the USAF Society of Flight Surgeons in 2008. Dr. Strader is an experienced Expert Witness with numerous case reviews, depositions, and ongoing cases. He is available to assist external peer review agencies and both Plaintiff and Defense in malpractice actions. Areas of Expertise Include:

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