Overview

This page concerns an elective colon surgery case in which the patient allegedly was misinformed about a major coronary blockage seen on CT calcium imaging, did not inform the colon surgeon of the heart condition, then suffered demand ischemia, required cardiac surgery, and died in the hospital.

System Gwinnett Hospital System
Fact pattern Elective surgery performed without the patient understanding a major coronary blockage seen on CT calcium imaging
Alleged harm Heart attack, cardiac surgery, and death

Chronology

  1. William Foster underwent CT Calcium imaging that showed a major blockage in one of his coronary arteries.
  2. Cardiologist Dr. Lance Friedland told William the CT score showed no cause for concern.
  3. Before elective colon surgery in June 2019, William therefore did not inform the colon surgeon of his heart condition.
  4. After surgery, William suffered a heart attack caused by demand ischemia, underwent cardiac surgery, and died in the hospital in July 2019 after the damage proved irreversible.

Alleged failures

Dr. Lance Friedland allegedly misinformed William Foster about a major coronary blockage seen on CT Calcium imaging.

Because the heart condition was not understood or communicated before surgery, the elective colon surgery allegedly proceeded without adequate cardiology clearance.

The resulting demand ischemia, heart attack, cardiac surgery, and death are alleged to trace back to the cardiology misinformation before surgery.

Entities

Gwinnett Hospital System, Inc.Dr. Lance FriedlandCT Calcium imagingCoronary arteriesColon surgeryDemand ischemiaCardiac surgery
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