According to the lawsuit, Mr. Oden’s aortic valve was not functioning properly five weeks after the operation due to an errant suture which caught one of the three leaflets in Mr. Oden’s valve. The operation allegedly relied on Dr. Schwartz’s judgment to inspect the tissue site and report any leaks or problems.
Arun Singh, MD, the surgeon who performed the mitral valve replacement, and Rhode Island Hospital were dismissed from the malpractice case Oct. 18. A Superior Court jury found Dr. Schwartz liable for signing a form indicating that his inspection found no problems, allegedly resulting in the wrongly placed suture.
Read the Providence Journal report on Dr. Charles Schwartz.
Read more on anesthesia:
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