The public should be wary of certain physicians, and the late Kira Johnson’s physician is one of them.
According to Case No. 800-2016-021723, the California Board of Medicine received six complaints of medical negligence against Dr. Arjang Naim, who is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist who practices in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California.
On April 12, 2016, Johnson entered Cesar Sinai Hospital for an elective C-Section accompanied by her family but left the hospital without her.
I attended medical school and did my internship with men like Arlang Naim and know them well. Cowboys is what we called them back in the day. They took pride in whizzing through operative surgeries like they were in a race against time. Safety rules did not apply to them. They breached standards of medical care, and no one held them accountable.
In cases of emergency C-sections, the expected length of time is thirty minutes. Kira Johnson had no emergency conditions, and her C-section was an elective procedure. Naim had two medical practices in Hollywood and Beverly Hills and was probably multi-tasking.
Johnson’s procedure began at 2:31 p.m. and ended at 2:48 p.m., 17 minutes, including her delivery. Unfortunately, in Naim’s haste, he failed to close the bladder flap. Shortly after that, he left the hospital, leaving Johnson’s care to the resident physicians who were in training.
At 4:40 p.m., Johnson developed abnormal bleeding in the bag that collects urine (known as the Foley catheter). Then, at 5:45 p.m., a massive blood clot could be felt through her skin incision. Her pulse then increased dramatically, and is a classic sign of impending shock.
Johnson received multiple blood transfusions and exhibited signs of a dangerous condition called DIC (disseminated intravascular clotting) which meant her blood was not clotting properly. Naim did not arrive at Johnson’s bedside until 8:47 p.m. Despite Johnson’s unstable condition, he wrote orders, including a CT scan and then LEFT THE HOSPITAL.
Johnson’s condition deteriorated further, and the resident physicians called Naim again. He arrived at the hospital at 11:45 p.m. but only wanted to continue to merely observe. However, the resident physicians convinced him to return to the operating room to determine the site of her bleeding.
At 12:25 a.m., Johnson was taken back to the operating room, and at 1:15 a.m., the resident physicians scrambled to find a general surgeon to assist Naim with the procedure. Unfortunately, Kira Johnson’s heart stopped beating.
Further evidence from the California Board of Medicine reported that Johnson was not the only patient who experienced medical neglect.
- On August 21, 2015, a patient had a ruptured tubal pregnancy. Naim performed her surgery but failed to achieve any follow-up hospital care for three days despite her requiring a blood transfusion
- On March 14, 2016, a patient had a ruptured uterus after experiencing a 16-week pregnancy loss. The uterus was repaired, the patient required a blood transfusion, and Naim did not see the patient during her entire hospital stay.
- On May 31, 2016 (approximately one month after Kira Johnson expired), Naim performed a C-section on his patient with a placenta previa (placenta covering the baby). Unfortunately, the placenta could not be removed, and the patient required a hysterectomy performed by Naim and a GYN oncologist. Although it was Naim’s patient, he failed to see her daily during her hospital course.
The California Board of Medicine placed Naim on probation in 2018 for two years, but he is practicing medicine again, including delivering
Would you want him to be your physician?
