Review of Cardiac Malpractice Cases Involving a Trainee

Lawsuits involving medical trainees are underappreciated and poorly documented, including within cardiology-related fields. The purpose of this review was to characterize clinical characteristics and legal outcomes of cardiology- and cardiac surgery-related lawsuits involving trainees. Westlaw, an online legal research database containing legal records from around the United States, was retrospectively reviewed for malpractice cases involving medical students, residents, or fellows through November 2020. Cases included both cardiac and cardiac surgery cases. A total of 28 cases were identified, with 16 involving female patients (57%). In the 17 cases in which patient age was included, the median age was 51 years. A total of 22 (79%) cases resulted in death or permanent disability. The most common alleged errors included procedural issues (n = 14, 50%) and failure to diagnose (n = 7, 25%). A total of 14 cases (50%) ended in favor of the physicians, 9 (32%) ended in a settlement or verdict against the physician, and 5 cases had an unknown outcome. Of the 8 cases in which the settlement or verdict amount was reported, the median payment was $1,291,992 with a range of $220,507-$30,000,000. This review of cardiac and cardiac surgery malpractice cases involving a trainee suggests trainee involvement in procedures and diagnosis may confer relatively high liability risks for both trainees and their supervisors.