Surgery: Cardiovascular Surgery Expert Witnesses: 7

MRK Medical Consultants provides Medical-Legal Evaluations to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client's situations. MRK provides a wide array of medical experts that offer objective review and analysis of personal injuries. Each stage of the process—research to review, analysis to opinion—is addressed in a comprehensive manner in order to help legal and insurance professionals reach appropriate conclusions about their client’s situations. MRK's prestigious list of more than forty consultants are active clinicians and surgeons, who are all board-certified or eligible in one or more specialties. MRK provides physician experts to the entire State of California, the Reno/Lake Tahoe area, and Las Vegas, and we travel to many areas of the United States. Physical therapy, registered nurses, physician assistant, and billing review consultants are available services MRK provides. Our office physicians are available for telephone review of the merits of your case before you decide to proceed.  

Edward W. Younger, III, M.D., Medical Director of MRK Medical Consultants, specializes in Orthopedic Surgery. He has extensive experience in total joint replacement, as well as reconstructive surgery of the knee, hip, and shoulder. He was instrumental in bringing computer navigation technology to his hospital. He served on the orthopedic trauma staff at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, California, for more than fifteen years and was instrumental in bringing computer navigation technology to that institution. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Society and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, a member of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the California Orthopedic Association.

Dr. Michael R. Klein, Jr., M.D., specializes in Orthopedic Surgery and is a founding member and the first Medical Director of Northern California Orthopedic Centers. He was involved with the development of the orthopedic section of the Level II Trauma Center at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. He served as a clinical professor at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center for more than thirty years. He has been a member of the North American Spine Society since 2009 and was awarded the David O. Selby Award in 2020 for his contributions. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and a member of the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association. He retired from the USAF in 1998 after being on active duty during the Vietnam War, and he was activated for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. 

MRK's Areas of Expertise:

Orthopedics Neurosurgery / Neurology Anesthesiology / Pain Management Bariatric Surgery Cardiology Chiropractic Orthopedics Covid Critical Care/ICU Chronic Pain  Dentistry Emergency Medicine Endocrinology Gastroenterology General Surgery / Trauma Geriatrics Family Practice Life Care Planning

Medical Billing / Bill Auditing Metallurgical Engineering Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Obstetrics / Gynecology / OB/GYN Ophthalmology Optometry Orthopedic Implants Otolaryngology Plastic Surgery Podiatry Pulmonary Medicine Radiology Rheumatology Thoracic Surgery  Urology Vascular Surgery

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.

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, engaged in locum tenens work supervising CRNAs, and presently provides care to over 700 patients each year. His group is involved in providing Spinal, Epidural, Regional, and General Anesthesia for patients undergoing cardiovascular and thoracic procedures as well as  general, orthopedic, bariatric, urologic, vascular, otorhinolaryngological (ENT), ophthalmologic, and neurologic surgery.  He provides care for patients in the settings of obstetrical and gynecological procedures. Dr. Ertner maintains licenses in California where his practice is located, as well as in Texas and Georgia, where he trained, and in Missouri. He was awarded Diplomat status by the National Board of Echocardiography and presently a testamur.

 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 35 cases, written numerous case opinions, been deposed, and testified multiple times. 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:

Anesthesiology Cardiac Anesthesiology Thoracic Anesthesiology Peripheral Nerve Block Epidural Spinal Airway Management

Airway Trauma Intubation Transesophageal Echocardiography Nerve Injury Bronchospasm Laryngospasm Intraoperative Cardiac Arrest

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:

     ♦  Zero-Risk Guarantee:  Approve the expert or we'll refund the fee.

     ♦  Avoid costly mistakes with real-time access to our physician-led Strategy Team.

     ♦  No subscriptions - we earn trust one case at a time.

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

     ♦  No database or advertised experts - we plan for discovery and transparency at every stage.

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:

Anesthesiology Bariatric Surgery Cardiology Cardiothoracic Surgery Critical Care COVID-19 (SARS Cov-2; Coronavirus) Dermatology and Aesthetic Dermatology Ears, Nose & Throat (Otolaryngology) Emergency Medicine Endocrinology Epidemiology Family Medicine Gastroenterology General Surgery Gerontology Gynecologic Oncology Gynecology Hand Surgery Hospital Medicine (Hospitalist) Infectious Disease Intensive Care (ICU) Medicine Internal Medicine Interventional Radiology Laparoscopic Surgery Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Neonatology Nephrology Neurology Neurosurgery Obstetrics Oncology Ophthalmology Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Orthodontics Orthopedic (Orthopaedic) Surgery Pathology Pediatric Surgery Pediatrics Perinatology Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR) Podiatry Psychiatry Pulmonology (Pulmonary Medicine) Radiology Rheumatology Sports Medicine Toxicology Transplant Surgery Trauma Surgery Urology Vascular Surgery

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Anthony C Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of Pediatric Cardiology. Dr. Chang has 30 years of experience and special expertise in Congenital Heart Disease and Perioperative Care as well as Cardiomyopathy and Sudden Death in pediatric patients. Dr. Chang has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from University of Miami School of Business and a master's degree in Biomedical Data Science from Stanford University. He also has a master’s degree in Public Health from UCLA, from which he graduated with the Dean’s Award for academic excellence. 

Doctor Chang - Being A Doctor

Dr. Chang has been offering litigation support services to the legal community for many years. His expertise is available to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense. Dr. Chang has been deposed and/or testified over 200 times since 1990. Areas of Specialization:

Congenital Heart Disease Cardiac Surgery Sudden Death Cardiac Intensive Care Heart Failure

Postoperative Care Pulmonary Hypertension Public Health Sports Medicine Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

A world-renown leader in pediatric cardiology innovation, Dr. Chang is a member of the grant review committee for pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health. Respected in his field, Dr. Chang is a member the board of directors for the American Heart Association. Providing leadership in education, he has served with the faculty of UCLA School of Public Health (eMPH program) and has taught global health for UCLA’s eMPH. He also teaches pediatric cardiology to cardiology fellows and holds a volunteer faculty appointment at the UCLA School of Medicine. 

A prolific author, Dr. Chang is the chief editor of the textbook Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care and the past president-elect of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society (PCICS). He is the chief editor of the textbook Heart Failure in Children and Young Adults. He is a regular reviewer for “Circulation,” “Pediatric Critical Care Medicine,” “Critical Care Medicine,” and numerous other journals. Dr. Chang has been voted “Physician of Excellence” by the Orange County Medical Association and also selected as one of America’s “Top Doctors,” “Top Pediatricians,” and “Best Cardiologists” by several organizations. 

View Dr. Chang's Consulting Profile.

Alexander R. Marmureanu, MD, is a prominent Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon, with a special expertise in the field of minimally invasive surgery where he developed and pioneered several techniques and procedures. He maintains a busy and active cardiothoracic surgery practice performing over 400 surgical cases per year with outstanding results.

Litigation Support - Dr. Marmureanu provides expert witness case review for issues involving Cardiothoracic Medical Malpractice. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense.

Education and Background Experience - Dr. Marmureanu completed his General Surgery Residency and a research fellowship at New York University Medical Center in New York City. He continued his surgical training at Mount Sinai Medical Center, also in New York City, where he was actively involved in the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery research. His cardiothoracic surgery fellowship was completed at UCLA, where he continued to practice as UCLA faculty/Clinical Instructor, and then joined Cedars Sinai Medical staff.

Achievements - Dr. Marmureanu is nationally and internationally recognized in the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery and has authored numerous research papers and clinical publications. He has built several very successful cardiothoracic surgery programs, and appeared as guest speaker on numerous TV and radio shows discussing the benefits of cutting edge surgical techniques as well as the advantages of minimally invasive surgery for the thoracic and cardiovascular patients. He is a member of multiple organizations Boards and committees, both nationally and internationally.

View Dr. Marmureanu's Consulting Profile.

Andrew J. Manganaro, MD has been a board certified Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon for more than 25 years. He has experience in all areas of adult cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery, and has cared for more than 10,000 patients in his practice.

Litigation Support - Dr. Manganaro has more than 15 years of experience in medical expert opinions for both plaintiffs and defendants. His services include medical record review, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. He is licensed to practice in Ohio, Michigan, Delaware, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Dakota.

Areas of Expertise:

Cardiac Surgery Pulmonary Surgery Esophageal Surgery

Trauma Surgery Vascular Surgery Endovascular Surgery