Utah resident Donnamay Brockbank, 62, died following open-heart surgery when doctors neglected to close a tube and all of her blood drained into a garbage can, according to a lawsuit her family filed against the surgeons.
The lawsuit, filed this month in the Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake City, states that Brockbank died at St. Mark’s Hospital in Millcreek, Utah, on July 11, 2018. She had undergone surgery to remove a heart device that was causing an allergic reaction.
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Her family said that her surgeons, Dr. Shreekanth V. Karwande and Dr. David G. Affleck, failed to close an open tube and Brockbank “bled to death because all of her blood and seven additional units”1 of blood she was given drained from her heart and into a medical waste garbage can through the open tube. The lawsuit states:
“Ms. Brockbank bled until her heart could no longer beat because all of her blood and seven additional units were in the garbage can on the floor below the operating table.”1
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According to the lawsuit, the doctors inserted a small tube into one of Brockbank’s veins and then used a cardiopulmonary bypass machine to pump blood into a reservoir during the surgery. After the surgery was complete, Affleck and Karwande left the operating room and did not remove or clamp the tube. A technician then started to break down the bypass machine and placed the reservoir in the garbage can. When Brockbank’s heart began to pump on its own, her blood drained through the open tube into the reservoir.
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Anesthesiologist Dr. Kyle Enslin was in the room and noticed that Brockbank’s vitals were dropping. According to the lawsuit, he had Karwande come back to the operating room:
“By the time Karwande did return, Ms. Brockbank was already in severe distress because all of her blood had drained into the reservoir that was sitting in the garbage can.”1
Doctors, still unaware the tube was left open, began pumping seven units of blood into Brockbank to try and save her, but the blood was leaving her body through the tube.
Brockbank’s death could have been avoided if doctors had realized that the tube had not been clamped. Her family has suffered “emotional anguish” and are seeking an amount to be determined at trial, the suit states.
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St. Mark’s hospital said in a statement:
“Our hearts go out to Donnamay Brockbank’s family and we want to express our sincerest condolences for their loss. At the time of this tragic incident, we carefully reviewed the clinical care we provided. We seek to learn from every patient situation as we continuously improve the quality and safety of patient care at our hospital.”
Brockbank was married with four adult children. Her son, Brad, 39, said in a video provided by the family’s lawyer that the death has been extremely hard on the family, adding:
“Mom’s qualities were countless. First and foremost, just the love she had for others. She would give herself to anybody that needed it. She was the kindest, most generous woman that I’ve ever known.”1
Bart Brockbank, 41, is her oldest son. In the video he said through tears that he misses his mother’s smile.
“Her smile was always able to make you feel better.”1
Neither Affleck, who is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, nor Karwande could not be reached for comment.
The leading medical journal BMJ said in a report published this week that more than one in ten patients are injured while receiving medical care. Half of those injuries are preventable. The report also says that of the preventable errors, twelve percent of them lead to a patient becoming permanently disabled or dying.
What a tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Brockback family.
