In Houston, Texas, two new lawsuits have been filed against Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center by patients alleging they sustained serious injuries due to surgical errors during heart transplant procedures. These lawsuits, filed in Harris County District Court, increase the total number of malpractice claims related to heart transplants at the hospital to five. This surge in legal action follows a Houston Chronicle and ProPublica investigation that highlighted numerous complications and deaths within the hospital’s transplant program.
The federal government intervened in August by cutting off Medicare funding for heart transplants at the facility, owing to deficiencies in patient care and outcomes. Baylor St. Luke’s is currently appealing this decision. Notably, the hospital’s heart transplant program has faced challenges in recent years, with the situation reaching a critical point that has prompted multiple legal complaints.
Among the lawsuits, one case details Lazerick Eskridge’s experience following his February 2017 heart transplant. Eskridge alleges negligence on the part of the surgical team, claiming that a major vein was improperly closed, causing severe blood flow issues that necessitated emergency intervention within the operating room. This complication resulted in a prolonged hospital stay lasting three months and multiple subsequent health issues.
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