There are risks associated with any type of surgery. However, doctors and medical staff still have the duty to provide patients with a reasonable standard of care. An Ohio woman is claiming her husband received negligent care after undergoing heart surgery in 2011. The woman is now suing the medical facility, as well as a doctor, for wrongful death after her husband died just eight days after the operation.
On Dec. 12, 2011, the man was admitted to North Ohio Heart Center. The next day, a doctor performed coronary artery surgery on the man. The man's wife claims that the lack of care he received caused his death on Dec. 21, 2011.
The suit was filed on behalf of the man's wife, along with other family members including children, siblings, grandchildren, great-children and a mother. They are claiming various damages, including loss of care, consortium, attendance, counseling, education, guidance and attention, among other losses. The family is asking for a trial, as well as more than $25,000 in damages, including compensation for the expenses that the man incurred in the days before he died.
Many people sue doctors for medical malpractice after something goes wrong, but doctors are far from perfect. Could the man's death have been prevented in this case? It is unknown what exactly caused the man to die, but the surviving family members will have to prove negligence, which is not always easy to do. The courts will have to determine if the standard of care was met by listening to expert testimony from other doctors in the field.
Source: The Morning Journal, "Elyria woman suing North Ohio Heart Center for wrongful death of her husband," Kaylee Remington, Dec. 17, 2013
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