John Blincow and Ashley Heslop Deliver Defense Verdict
John Blincow and Ashley Heslop represented a cardiologist who was sued by the widow of one of his patients. The deceased had been diagnosed with mitral valve disease and ventricular tachycardia, a dangerous arrhythmia. Our client recommended surgery to repair the valve. This recommendation did not appear in the patient’s chart. The patient refused surgery and our client referred him to an arrhythmia specialist. The patient died suddenly a few months later. The Plaintiff contended that our client did not recommend surgery in strong enough terms and did not convey the risk of dying from a sudden cardiac event. The Plaintiff also contended that we did not adequately follow the patient who should have been seen on a frequent basis. The defense was that the patient was told that he needed surgery and that he made a choice not to proceed. We also contended that our client met the standard by getting him to a subspecialist to manage his arrhythmia. That physician also recommended surgery.