A Florida woman who suffered a fatal heart attack while having a caesarean section at a hospital in Florida on Thursday morning was “extremely fortunate” to survive the procedure, hospital officials said.
In a statement on Thursday, the Florida Hospital Association said “it is very disappointing that a doctor in Florida will not have been held accountable for their care.
She should have been.”
The statement added that the Florida Health Department “does not tolerate the use of medically inaccurate or unethical procedures that endanger patients or the public.”
A spokesman for the hospital said Thursday morning that the doctor had “a full and complete” investigation into the incident and that no disciplinary action had been taken.
He added that a representative of the Florida Department of Health was “currently in contact with the Florida hospital association and will be meeting with them in the coming days.”
A statement from the Florida State University School of Medicine said Thursday that the hospital was “very sorry” that the patient “suffered a severe cardiac arrest.”
It added that there was no evidence of negligence and that the situation was handled appropriately.
The statement said the hospital had received “several reports of similar incidents” in the past.
The hospital’s statement said that “the Florida Department for Health and Human Services has reviewed and will continue to monitor this situation as it unfolds.”
The hospital has no immediate plans to revoke the doctor’s license.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has also condemned the incident, calling it “a tragic, and untimely, event that would have affected many Floridians.”
He has ordered a statewide investigation.