Surgeon Bypassed the Wrong Artery

Surgery mistake: Surgeon bypassed the wrong artery: Fact or fiction?

Fact!

How can a surgeon bypass the wrong artery? The premise sounds like a bad plot for a medical TV show. Unfortunately, that surgery mistake has and does happen.

Publicly, we know it happened to one of America’s best beloved comedians, Dana Carvey. Although it happened to Carvey more than a decade ago, he’s the poster boy for this type of surgery mix-up.

According to reports about Carvey, two months after having a double bypass operation, he found out that his heart surgeon had bypassed the wrong artery. Shocking! Fortunately, Carvey did not need another open heart bypass surgery but did have an angioplasty to clear the blocked artery.

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The heart surgeon’s response was that he made an honest mistake because Carvey's artery was unusually situated in his heart.

Heart surgeons are not allowed to make mistakes. Surgical mistakes are considered medical malpractice or medical negligence.

The $7.5 million medical malpractice lawsuit that Carvey filed against the heart surgeon for operating on the wrong artery was settled and financial details not disclosed.

There are many examples of medical negligence - being the victim of a surgeon operating on the wrong body part is a prime example.

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If you or a loved one has suffered medical negligence from a doctor who bypassed the wrong artery or any kind of surgical mix up – it’s time to reach out to a medical malpractice law firm who has a track record of pursuing surgical mistakes and medical negligence lawsuits.