Cook County Board Approves Settlement After Alleged Botched Heart Surgery At Stroger Hospital

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Cook County Board has approved a nearly $4 million settlement of a malpractice suit over what the plaintiffs said was a botched heart surgery at Stroger Hospital. It's the second major settlement in a month at Stroger.

This was a 2013 case in which a man suffered brain damage when doctors performed a procedure to remove fluid from around his heart in a bedside operation, and not in a cardiac lab. 

Lawyers for the man called it a grossly improper decision.

Health and Hospitals CEO Dr. Jay Shannon said officials review cases with negative outcomes to determine what improvements in quality and safety may need to occur.

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle supports the settlement.

"There is no doubt that the outcome was tragic and I can only hope that this settlement brings some closure to the individual," she said.

Just last month, commissioners approved a nearly $6.5 million settlement for the death of a woman during a 2013 pacemaker surgery.

Health and Hospitals CEO Dr. Jay Shannon said a settlement is not an admission of malpractice.

"We follow the same good practices that any health system would do, including route call analysis and considerations for improvements in quality and safety whenever we see them," he said. 

He would not discuss specifics.