‘Unprofessional conduct’: Clovis doctor placed on probation after patient dies

CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Clovis doctor’s medical license was placed on probation after the state medical board found he was negligent during a visit with a patient who died under his care.

The board says Dr. Adam Ayham Rajoulh also demonstrated a “disrespect and a lack of empathy and concern for patients” in the past.

On July 23rd, the Medical Board of California placed Rajoulh’s medical license on probation for 35 months.

The decision follows a January 2023 visit when Rajoulh assumed care of a 74-year-old man with an elevated heart rate, complaining of rectal bleeding, dizziness, and weakness.

According to court documents, when the patient was first admitted around 2 p.m., his heart rate was elevated, and beating at 112 and 118 beats per minute (bpm). After ordering a variety of tests, Rajoulh found the patient was losing blood and admitted him to the medical floor on intravenous fluids.

A few hours later, the 74-year-old’s heart rate had increased to 130 bpm, and around 7 p.m., his chart noted bloody stool. Rajoulh ordered more tests, and the results came back abnormal.

Around 10 p.m., he was given a new IV, and just before 11 p.m., Rajoulh ordered 1 ml .9% sodium chloride bolus – a half hour later, his condition had deteriorated.

His oxygen levels dropped to 75-77%, he was experiencing difficulty breathing, his heart rate had jumped, and his breaths became shallow. He was given oxygen and transferred to a new room in the red zone.

Rajoulh called an ICU doctor and ordered more tests and a blood transfusion.

Just before midnight, the 74-year-old went into cardiac arrest. He went into cardiac arrest three more times before passing away around 2:20 a.m. on January 22.

While the Rajoulh did administer IV fluids, the medical board says he “failed to administer a bolus of IV fluids to [the patient] at appropriate times to ensure adequate resuscitation.”

The board says he also failed “to include any pertinent information about [his] current medications, or his medical, surgical, family, or social history, which could have altered management decisions regarding [his] care.”

Rajoulh has shown unprofessional conduct in the past, according to court documents. In July 2022, the medical board says Rajoulh “posted a video to social media of himself dressed in his medical scrubs,” where he “suggests that he gives laxatives to ‘annoying’ patients requesting pain medications.”

Due to repeated negligent acts, inadequate or inaccurate recordkeeping, and unprofessional conduct, Rajoulh agreed that his medical license be placed on probation until June 22, 2028. He is also ordered to pay the board $34,000 for the costs of the investigation and enforcement, and an amount yet to be determined for the costs of probation monitoring, which include courses on ethics and medical record-keeping.

YourCentralValley.com reached out to Kaweah Health for comment, but has yet to hear back.