Hospital CEO dies after heart surgery, and it could’ve been prevented, IL lawsuit says
The death of a former hospital CEO could have been prevented, an Illinois lawsuit said.
The family of Ruth Colby is suing the University of Chicago and her surgeon after complications from heart surgery led to Colby’s death, the lawsuit said.
A surgeon performed a minimally invasive robotic heart valve procedure on Colby on Sept. 25, 2023. Colby was unable to come off of bypass after the surgery and suffered severe right heart failure the same day, according to the lawsuit.
Colby died in the intensive care unit weeks later on Oct. 15 after suffering multisystem organ failure among other complications. She was 69 years old.
A health professional cited in the lawsuit said Colby’s death was “preventable.”
The University of Chicago Health and Hospital System did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment. Attorney information for her surgeon was not listed.
When Colby was unable to come off of bypass after the surgery, the lawsuit says the surgeon should have gone back to the operating room.
According to the lawsuit, the health professional reviewed Colby’s medical records and believes she should have undergone additional surgical intervention so her mitral valve could have been replaced with a bioprosthetic valve.
The lawsuit also accuses the surgeon of not documenting the full extent of Colby’s condition, including systolic anterior movement of the mitral valve leaflet (SAM) and left ventricular outlet obstruction (LVOTO)
“Our expert report states that Ms. Colby underwent the wrong procedure which was negligently performed,” Keith A. Hebeisen, lawyer for Colby’s family, said. “We intend to get to the bottom of what happened because Ms. Colby did everything as she was advised and relied on this hospital and its doctor to properly treat her condition without her dying.”
The lawsuit is seeking damages of at least $50,000 in her wrongful death.
Colby was the president and CEO of Silver Cross Hospital, according to a Facebook post by the hospital the day of her death.
This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Hospital CEO dies after heart surgery, and it could’ve been prevented, IL lawsuit says."
