In an unfortunate turn of events, family members of Bill Paxton have filed a wrongful death suit against the Los Angeles hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Dr. Ali Khoynezhad, the medical doctor who performed Paxton’s heart surgery which is believed to have led to his death several days later. As reported by the lawsuit, the surgeon allegedly used a highly risky and unorthodox surgical procedure which was not only unnecessary, but that the surgeon lacked the experience to perform in addition to his downplaying the risks involved in the operation. Furthermore, the suit alleges that the hospital knew of this surgeon’s tendency to engage in dangerous procedures and show substandard judgment.
The surgical procedure caused Paxton to bleed excessively in addition to causing him to suffer from both a compromised coronary artery and cardiogenic shock. According to his death certificate, Paxton’s death was caused by a stroke at the age of sixty-one on February 25, 2017. This was eleven days after the surgical procedure which was supposed to have replaced a faulty heart valve along with repairing aortic damage.
Paxton and his family trusted Cedars-Sinai, the physicians, and staff but they betrayed their trust, resulting in the tragic, untimely, and most importantly, preventable death. The wrongful death lawsuit was brought by his widow, Louise, along with their children, Lydia and James. The suit asks for an unspecified amount of damages, reserving the right to add more defendants as their roles and/or names become clear as employees of the hospital who may have been involved.
The medical center declined to comment on the case, stating that state and federal laws concerning privacy didn’t allow them to discuss a patient without written consent. Furthermore, the hospital claimed that nothing was more important to them than the safety and well-being of their patients. In fact, they say the health and safety of their patients are their top two priorities. The medical center also states that the reason they were able to provide such high quality care was because of thoroughly reviewing a patient’s medical care and concerns.
Dr. Khoynezhad has left the hospital for another since Paxton’s death and messages seeking his comment have gone unanswered. It’s scary to think that he is still able to practice medicine at another hospital if he is known to take risks and use unconventional procedures when they’re not needed and his being unqualified as well.
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Paxton was one of the industry’s most active actors, with almost a hundred credits to his name. Some of his more acclaimed roles were in movies such as Twister, Titanic, The Terminator, and Apollo 13. In addition, he also voiced the character ”Kahn” in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. At the time of his death, he was starring in ”Training Day”, a television drama which aired on CBS. His talent will certainly be missed by many fans as he will most definitely be missed by those who loved him.
Because of Paxton and his family’s trust in the medical staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the surgeon who performed his heart surgery had the opportunity to use a risky and unorthodox procedure, resulting in the actor’s death. If the hospital did indeed know about this doctor’s tendency to use unconventional surgical methods, then they, as well as the surgeon, should be held accountable.
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