Doctors at a hospital in Ohio have been accused of propping up a dead patient to make her appear alive, even though she had died hours earlier during a routine surgery, according to a lawsuit.
The patient was an unidentified 65-year-old woman who had been in "good health" before she underwent surgery at Adena Health System in Chillicothe, Ohio, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian.
The woman's family is suing the hospital over discrepancies between her death certificate and hospital records concerning the time of her death.
Her records insist that she died at 1pm local time, but her death certificate lists her death as two hours later, at 3.05pm. The later time was when family members say they were brought into her room and shown the woman's body, allegedly propped up to appear as though she was alive.
The family is demanding to know the truth behind her death and why she was allegedly made to appear alive when they visited.
Dr Jarrod Betz, a cardiologist who has reportedly faced previous scrutiny, performed the operation on the woman.
The Scioto Valley Guardian previously reported that Dr Betz had performed at least three transcatheter aortic valve operations “despite not being properly credentialed for such highly specialized surgeries.”
The entrance to Adena Health, where a family claims staffers propped up their dead relative to convince them she was still alive after dying in a routine surgery— (screengrab/NBC4)
The doctor allegedly cut into an artery during the operation, according to the newspaper.
He reportedly believed that he had gotten the bleeding under control, but the woman was actually still bleeding when she was returned to an ICU.
A second cardiologist, Dr Atiq Reham, took over the operation and attempted to save the woman, but she later died under his care, according to medical records.
The family learned that the county coroner, Ben Trotter, was an employee of Adena Health System, and has asked for an independent autopsy.
The Independent has reached out to Adena Health Systems and Dr Betz for comment.
