Lawsuit accuses cardiologists, hospital of negligence after failed heart transplant
The sister of a patient who died following a heart transplant procedure is suing the hospital and several physicians for medical malpractice. In the lawsuit, hospital employees are accused of negligence, dishonesty and keeping the patient on life support for years only to pad their own statistics.
Darryl Young underwent the heart transplant at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2018 after battling congestive heart failure for years. He suffered brain damage during the procedure, however, and never woke up, dying in 2022.
Ashley Young’s lawsuit—available here—names the hospital, RWJ Barnabas Health, cardiologist Mark Zucker, MD, and several other care providers involved in the case as defendants.
ProPublica, a nonprofit news publication, has tracked this case over the years with multiple investigations. While the most recent report focuses on Ashley Young’s lawsuit, a previous investigation took on the entire incident, resulting in the case receiving a significant amount of attention. That report included evidence that employees had openly discussed the need to keep him alive for the hospital’s benefit. Ashley Young’s new lawsuit highlights this evidence, in addition to other allegations.
“Especially with the doctors never, from the outset, being forthcoming and truthful about the circumstances of my brother’s condition, not only is that wrong and unethical, but it took a lot away from our entire family,” Young told ProPublica when discussing the lawsuit. “The most important thing to me is that those responsible be held accountable.”
While Zucker has not publicly commented on Darryl Young’s case, he did leave Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in 2020 after working there for more than 30 years. He was never accused of wrongdoing by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which looked into the incident after it received national attention.
A spokesperson for Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, meanwhile, said the hospital does not comment on pending litigation.
Click here to read the latest update from ProPublica, which includes much more additional context.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.