Bonati Spine Institute Suspended: Bonati Spine Review & Alternatives

The Bonati Spine Institute is a medical facility specializing in advanced spine surgery and pain management. It was founded by Dr. Alfred Bonati, a pioneer in minimally invasive spine surgery. The Bonati Pain Institute is known for its expertise in addressing conditions such as herniated discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and failed back surgery syndrome.

There are two locations of The Bonati Spine Institute: 

Tampa Back and Spine Doctors: 

7315 Hudson Ave Hudson, FL 34667

Malone Back & Spine Institute: 

9 Finney Blvd Malone, NY 12953

The suspension of the Bonati Spine Institute is due to a certified surgical technologist performing multiple procedures–despite not being licensed as a Florida doctor. In spite of the surgical center's appeal to stop the enforcement of the emergency order, the court of appeal denied their request. 

Controversy isn’t new for the Bonati Spine Institute. On September 23, 2021, the Florida Department of Health suspended the medical license of Dr. Alfred Bonati, the founder of the Bonati Spine Institute, and ordered him to pay a fine of $40,000, citing 21 counts of medical malpractice between 2014 and 2018. This decision followed multiple complaints from patients who claimed to have suffered unnecessary or botched surgeries, resulting in disabilities, infections, and even death. 

According to the Florida Board of Medicine, Dr. Bonati failed to meet the standard of care, negligently performed surgeries, misdiagnosed or failed to diagnose conditions, and failed to obtain informed consent from patients. As a result, the Bonati Spine Institute has been under scrutiny by state and federal authorities, as well as by investigative journalists and consumer advocates. The multiple past events and the recent revelation subsequently led to its closure this year. 

As the Bonati Spine Institute finds itself suspended and facing a multitude of challenges, the road ahead appears uncertain. Bonati Spine Institute has filed a petition with the 1st District Court of Appeal, asking to stop the emergency order by the Florida Department of Health that suspended Dr. Alfred Bonati's medical license and imposed a $40,000 fine on him. However, Attorney Jon M. Pellett, who is familiar with such cases, has stated that the likelihood of the petition prevailing in appellate court is low.

As the court case continues, state regulators will file a separate administrative complaint against the surgical center. The center can dispute the complaint by requesting a formal or informal hearing. It could also work out a settlement with the agency.

Until the appellate court takes action or the agency withdraws or modifies the order, the emergency suspension will remain in effect. Bonati Institute would be able to appeal the penalties imposed on their agency, however, the entire process may take months. 

While the legal proceedings unfold, the Bonati Spine Institute faces the possibility of a financial fallout. With dozens of new and returning patients scheduled for treatment over the next 120 days, it’s unclear whether the surgical center will recover from these legal issues and be able to provide medical care to its patients again.

As concerned patients seek pain management alternatives, it becomes imperative to explore alternative healthcare providers and institutes that can offer the care and support required in the absence of the Bonati Spine Institute's services. 

Deuk Spine Institute is the world leader in Laser Spine Surgery. Dr. Ara Deukmedjian, founder of Deuk Spine Institute in Florida, developed the world's most advanced laser spine surgery, known as Deuk Laser Disc Repair.  

Deuk Laser Disc Repair is used as an alternative to dangerous invasive surgeries like total disc replacement and spinal fusion. Deuk Laser Disc Repair is a form of endoscopic spine surgery performed in a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center under sedation while the patient relaxes. 

In over 15 years of performing this procedure and with over 1,300 patients treated, there has been a 95% success rate with no complications in any patient. This procedure does not compromise or weaken the health and integrity of the spine.

The Deuk Laser Disc Repair only requires a very small incision, less than a quarter inch long. A cylindrical rod called a dilator is inserted in the small opening to gently spread the muscle to create a small passage through which the surgery is performed endoscopically. The tip of the dilator is advanced into the symptomatic disc through the tear in the annulus where the herniation originates, and a tube called the retractor slides over the dilator and is carefully positioned into the painful disc. The rest of the entire Deuk laser disc repair surgery will occur inside this narrow tube.

To access the spine, an endoscopic camera is inserted into the tubular retractor to allow the surgeon to guide the laser inside each symptomatic disc. This process ensures that bones and surrounding tissues are not damaged, unlike traditional spinal fusions, microdiscectomy, and artificial discs.

The Holmium YAG laser used in the Deuk laser disc repair is manipulated accurately with millimeter precision under endoscopic visualization to remove only painful inflammatory tissue from the disc. The laser is precisely used to remove damaged disc material that is causing the pain. 

Once the laser has removed the inflamed painful part of the annular tear and the herniated nucleus pulposus, the endoscope and tubular retractor are removed, leaving less than one-quarter inch incision in the skin, which can be closed with a single stitch and a band-aid. 

The total time for the Deuk laser disc repair surgery is one hour, and the patient is in recovery for about 45 to 60 minutes before being released to go home. Hospitalization is not needed and the risks of hospital-based surgery are avoided. 

Also, with the Deuk laser disc repair, there’s no loss of normal movement, and the flexibility of the disc and joint is preserved. With endoscopic Deuk laser disc repair there is no fusion, metal implants or biological material added to the spine. The procedure is all natural allowing your body to heal the herniated or bulging disc itself.

After the surgery, the Deuk laser disc repair patient is back home, enjoying life with a speedy recovery allowing normal activities without pain. Another advantage of Deuk laser disc repair is that no opioids or powerful narcotic painkillers are needed after surgery. Open spine surgeries like microdiscectomy, laminectomy, artificial disc replacement and fusion all cause so much internal trauma that patients are in severe pain after surgery and must take painkillers for weeks after their surgery but not with Deuk laser disc repair.

Here’s what one of our patients had to say: