BILL PAXTON’S FAMILY FILES LAWSUIT ALLEGING MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
February 19, 2018
When a surgeon takes risks that he or she doesn’t need to take, it could put a patient’s life at risk. It’s important for people who operate on patients to understand the full risks of procedures and to choose to perform only those they’re confident in.
Patients need to know the full truth about operations and treatments before they decide to get them. If they’re misled, it’s a good reason to file a claim for medical malpractice.
That’s what’s happening in this case involving the family of Bill Paxton. If you follow celebrity news, then you may remember the death of Bill Paxton. The actor had to have heart surgery, but something went wrong and he passed away.
A new lawsuit from his family states that the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center allowed its surgeon to use an unconventional surgery technique that was extremely high risk. The family believes that the technique was not the right one for the job and was unnecessary. They claim the surgeon did not have the experience to perform the procedure and didn’t make clear the risks before getting Paxton to agree to the surgery.
The family’s lawsuit claims that the surgeon previously showed poor judgment regarding a patient’s needs. During Paxton’s surgery, the treatment resulted in excessive bleeding, a compromised coronary artery and cardiogenic shock, they claim. Paxton died 11 days following surgery from a stroke, according to his death certificate from Feb. 25, 2017.
Situations like this may come down to a patient’s individual health, but taking any risk beyond what’s necessary is negligent. Surgeons need to know better than to do something they’re not familiar with on a patient; patients rely on them to make good decisions. If you or a family member are hurt by a surgical error, remember that you can file a claim.
Source: ABC News, “Bill Paxton family sues hospital, doctor for wrongful death,” Feb. 13, 2018