Seven-Figure Damages for Heart Surgery Complications Victim

Even the most competently performed surgery may result in complications and, if the worst happens, you should contact a solicitor straight away. In a case on point, a grandfather who sustained devastating brain damage in the wake of a successful heart operation received damages of more than £2 million.

The man was in his 50s when he underwent aortic valve and root replacement surgery at a private hospital. There was no dispute that the operation was carried out with all due care and skill. However, he later developed a well-known complication called cardiac tamponade and suffered a cardiac arrest before the condition was diagnosed and addressed.

He sustained permanent neurological damage after being deprived of oxygen for 14 minutes. Cared for in a nursing home, he has little useful speech or independent mobility and requires round-the-clock care. His life expectancy is much reduced and his family are keen for him to spend the time remaining to him in a different nursing home where he would receive a greater level of one-to-one care. The cost of that placement exceeded £3,000 a week.

After clinical negligence proceedings were launched on his behalf, judgment was entered against the hospital's operator, together with the surgeon and anaesthetist who treated him. Negotiations yielded a final settlement of his claim for a lump sum of £2,050,000. The High Court had no hesitation in approving the settlement, which will ensure that he is looked after for the rest of his life in accordance with his family's wishes.