Adam Rabinowitz, a partner with the Fort Lauderdale office of Broad and Cassel, recently won a favorable verdict for his client, Dr. Vincent Jarvis, a former Miami doctor accused of administering non-FDA approved HIV drugs to his patients.

In an action before 11th Judicial Circuit Miami-Dade County, with Judge Pedro Escharte, Jr. presiding, Dr. Jarvis was awarded a total of $860,750 for lost earnings and damages to his former South Beach HIV/AIDS practice.

Dr. Jarvis’s troubles began nearly 10 years ago when he agreed to serve as the principal investigator for a clinical trial of a drug known as Korean Green Cross IVIG. In the late 1990s, IVIG was used to stimulate the immune system of individuals suffering from HIV, but it was in short supply at the time. Unknown to Dr. Jarvis, however, Palm Beach Pharmacy began shipping the Korean Green Cross version of IVIG without the proper labeling and before the clinical trial procedures were properly established.

Following an FDA raid of Palm Beach Pharmacy, patient law suits and bad publicity, Dr. Jarvis was forced to close his successful medical practice and enter what became a decade of litigation against the now-defunct Palm Beach Pharmacy.

After closing his practice in South Beach, Dr. Jarvis prevailed against the pharmacy and was able to resume his current career as a professor and consultant in New York City.

"We are pleased that Dr. Jarvis is able to recover some of the losses he experienced because of the Pharmacy’s distribution of the non-approved drug," said Rabinowitz. "For the community, however, it was a true loss because Dr. Jarvis was one of the early champions in the fight against HIV/AIDS and he was forced to leave this community because of the Defendant’s improper conduct. Nevertheless, Dr. Jarvis is now relieved to have his name finally cleared."

Hialeah Hospital announced that it will begin performing Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) as part of its new Colon and Rectal Institute. TEM allows removal of benign or early malignant tumors through the rectum, as well as aiding in the removal of benign lesions and early stages of rectal cancer.

TEM is a more effective method then those used previously by colorectal surgeons because procedures are less invasive, recovery time is decreased, tumor removal is more precise and hospital stay is shorter and less expensive. The minimally invasive surgery is performed using a fiber-optic light source, a camera and specialized instruments, eliminating the need for external incisions and leaving no visible scarring and the procedure generally takes about an hour to complete.

Crowds of teenagers from all over Broward County gathered at Memorial Regional Hospital in excited anticipation on recent Wednesday morning. Surprisingly, the draw wasn’t a rock concert, the release of a video game or the debut of a new movie. Instead, the "drama" involved a videoconference, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at open heart surgery as it unfolded.

Dr. Gary Allen, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery, was performing bypass surgery in the hospital’s second floor operating room while Dr. Michael Cortelli, cardiac surgeon, was in the hospital’s auditorium fielding questions from the enthralled audience--more than 200 students representing allied health assisting programs from six Broward County public schools. At the same time, students at 15 other schools were participating from their own classrooms via the video conference bridge.

As Dr. Gary Allen performs open heart surgery, Dr. Michael Cortelli explains the procedure to Broward County students in the audience and in classrooms around the county.

"We arranged it so that everyone in both the on-site and remote locations was able to interact with the operating room throughout surgery," explained Maribel Diaz, Business Development Coordinator, Memorial Cardiovascular Institute. "The students took full advantage of this opportunity and asked both Dr. Allen and Dr. Cortelli many questions."

The web-streaming event was made possible through BECON (Broward Education Communications Network) Distance Learning Outreach. Diaz added, "This is the first event of this kind that the Memorial Healthcare System has ever hosted. Based on the tremendous response we got from the students and Broward Schools, it’s sure to be the first of many."