Man Awarded $40 Million In Cardiac Monitor Lawsuit

Scott Kappes

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This week a Washington jury awarded a man whose heart was severely damaged by a malfunctioning heart monitor during routine bypass surgery $40.1 million. Paramjit Singh's heart was damaged so badly by the machine that he had to undergo a heart transplant in order to survive. The 54 year old Mount Vernon man still suffers today as a result of the 2004 injury. The monitor manufactured by Edwards Lifesciences Corp of Irvine, California, malfunctioned causing a catheter to heat up and brutally burn the patient's heart.

The award included $8.35 million in punitive damages and the manufacturer said in a statement that they did not believe the award of punitive damages would withstand the scrutiny of the higher court.

The jury found that Edwards was at 99.99 percent of the damages, leaving .01 percent to be covered by Providence Everett Medical Center, where the incident occurred.