MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Heart surgeon not liable for complications following procedure
On Sept. 1, a jury found a heart surgeon wasn’t to blame for a patch over a congenital heart defect that dehisced following the procedure. Lill Rosellini underwent patent foramen ovale surgery to correct the defect. Dr. Michael Mack sewed the patch, which dehisced and partially came loose. She underwent surgery to repair the patch more than a year later. The defense cardiac surgery expert testified that dehiscing can take place in the absence of surgical errors and was an unforeseen and unforeseeable development. Defense counsel argued it was the anesthesiologist’s responsibility to administer and interpret the echocardiogram, and that he reported no problems to Mack.
