Mr. Aubertin Case Summary

Per Mrs. Aubertin’s report about Mr. Aubertin’s medical/health history, he underwent a prostatectomy in the United States on April 28, 2015 due to prostate cancer. After his surgery, he traveled to the United States every 6 months from St. Lucia to receive hormone therapy. In September/October 2016, Mrs. Aubertin noticed him “slowing down” (e.g., taking longer to get dressed, falling forward upon entering a car in one incident), which prompted them to visit a doctor in St. Lucia. Mrs. Aubertin reported that the doctor attributed Mr. Aubertin’s slower movements and reduced cognitive processing to the side effects of the hormone therapy. They sought a second opinion with another doctor, who administered cognitive testing (e.g., drawing tasks, writing tasks, following the doctor’s finger with his eye gaze, etc.) and found that Mr. Aubertin performed well on the assessments. Nevertheless, the doctor referred Mr. Aubertin for a neuroimaging scan because of his symptoms, but results did not reveal any brain abnormalities. On
Aubertin was diagnosed with a dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF), which “mimicked [a] stroke,” per Mrs. Aubertin’s report. According to Mrs. Aubertin, there was a clot “at the bottom” of the thalamus. She reported that he was unable to talk, unable to shift his body, “couldn’t do anything,” and “was just there” while he was in the hospital. Per Mrs. Aubertin’s report, in December 2016, Mr. Aubertin received an angiogram as a treatment at Columbia University Medical Center. It was unclear if he was discharged from and readmitted to Kings County Medical Center for that procedure. He was an inpatient at Kings County Medical Center for seven months until his discharge on June 19, 2017. Mrs. Aubertin reported that there have been “positive changes” since Mr. Aubertin’s admittance to the hospital. She revealed that the doctors stated he was recovering well for his age as DAVF usually occurs in younger