Cardiac Surgery (Heart Surgery)

The Procedure

Cardiac Surgery includes coronary artery bypass grafting, as well as heart valve repair and replacement. This requires an incision on the chest wall exposing the heart. Temporary tubes are placed in the heart to place it on a “heart lung machine”, then stopping the heart from beating while the surgery is performed. The heart is then restarted.

Risks

Numerous complications can happen during these complex procedures. These include:

• Infection
• Bleeding,
• Stroke
• Paraplegia
• Kidney Failure
• Death.

Medical Negligence

The above mentioned risks and complications are known to happen with cardiac surgery and such complications do not necessarily constitute deviation from the medical standard of care.  The following examples however may be considered as medical negligence.

• Substandard preoperative evaluation of the patient for surgery.
• Substandard performance of the surgery. 
• Failure to timely diagnose and treat a complication from the surgery despite clinical evidence of such.
• Damage to adjacent structures
• Mechanical equipment failure