Colorado Medic Faces Manslaughter Charge After Patient Dies During 'Musical Bingo' Surgery
A Colorado medic has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a patient during a routine cataract operation, where the surgical team allegedly engaged in a game of musical bingo. Dr Michael Urban, a 68-year-old anesthesiologist, was indicted this week after an investigation into the tragic incident that occurred on February 3, 2023.
Details of the Fatal Procedure
Bart Writer, aged 56, stopped breathing while undergoing eye surgery at the InSight Surgery Center in Lone Tree, located on the southern outskirts of Denver. Initially, investigators and Writer's wife, Chris, believed the death was a devastating accident based on diagrams of the operating room. However, this perception changed dramatically when an unnamed doctor contacted the widow with shocking revelations.
The doctor informed Chris Writer that her husband's surgeon, Dr Carl Stark Johnson, and anesthesiologist, Dr Urban, had a habit of playing 'musical bingo' during operations. This game reportedly involves blasting music and matching songs with the letters B, I, N, G, and O. For instance, if the Bee Gees performed a song, it would correspond to the letter 'B'.
Legal Actions and Allegations
Prompted by this tip, Chris Writer hired lawyers to take depositions from both Johnson and Urban. Both medics admitted to playing the game on the day of her husband's death. The civil lawsuit filed by Chris Writer alleges that the medics either turned down or disabled alarms designed to alert them when a patient's blood oxygen levels drop, a critical safety measure.
Dr Urban now faces charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, though it remains unclear whether Dr Johnson will face any criminal charges. The case has sparked both civil litigation and criminal proceedings, highlighting severe lapses in medical protocol.
Emotional Impact and Calls for Accountability
Chris Writer described the criminal case as feeling like 'taking a wound and ripping it open again', forcing her to relive the trauma of losing her husband. She expressed profound pain and frustration, stating, 'It's just so painful. It's so unfair. It never should have happened.' She emphasized that the incident was entirely preventable and hoped her lawsuit would shed light on the circumstances of her husband's death.
Attorney Dan Lipman, who represented the Writer family, condemned the actions, calling it 'one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice I have seen.' He revealed that this was not an isolated incident, suggesting that the team had played musical bingo while patients were anesthetized on previous occasions.
Aftermath and Regulatory Failures
Following the death, Dr Urban relocated to Oregon and continued practicing medicine for several months before retiring. Chris Writer made repeated efforts to alert medical boards in both Colorado and Oregon about the incident, but Dr Urban's license was never suspended. She criticized the medical boards, stating, 'Three years have passed with no meaningful action from either state’s medical board. That is shameful.'
She further lamented, 'I once believed medical boards existed to ensure patient safety. Sadly, my experience has shown otherwise. Too often, these boards function as doctors policing doctors, with little independent oversight. The result is a system that fails the very people it is meant to protect.'
The case underscores serious concerns about patient safety and medical oversight in surgical settings, with the community awaiting further developments as legal proceedings continue.
