Doctors' 'Music Bingo' Game Caused Critical Oversight During Surgery, Lawsuit Claims

A Tragic Oversight During Eye Surgery

A recent settlement in a legal case has brought to light a disturbing incident during a routine eye surgery that resulted in a patient's death. The lawsuit claims that two doctors were distracted by playing a game of “music bingo” during the procedure, which led to their failure to monitor the patient’s vital signs. This oversight ultimately proved fatal for the patient.

Bart Writer, a 56-year-old man, passed away shortly after undergoing cataract surgery at InSight Surgery Center in Lone Tree, Colorado, on February 3, 2023. His widow, Chris Writer, filed the lawsuit, alleging that the distraction caused by the music bingo game contributed to the operating room staff’s failure to monitor Mr. Writer’s condition during the surgery.

“My son is without his best friend. I am without Bart, my guy,” Chris said, expressing her deep sorrow and anger over the loss. She described feeling sad, angry, and disgusted by the situation.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Carl Stark Johnson, the surgeon, and Dr. Michael Urban, the anesthesiologist, regularly played a music-themed bingo game during operations. The game involved listening to songs from the 1970s and 1980s and linking band names to the letters B-I-N-G-O. Court documents obtained by a news outlet detailed this unusual practice.

Dr. Johnson, who has performed over 25,000 cataract surgeries, blamed Dr. Urban for silencing critical monitoring alarms without informing the surgical team. He stated that he relied on the anesthesiologist to monitor the patient’s condition during the procedure.

“I know that he wasn’t paying attention to the vital signs and doing his job,” he said in a statement to 9News. However, Dr. Urban, whose Colorado medical license has since expired, maintains that he acted appropriately. Now practicing in Oregon, he disputes Dr. Johnson’s account of the events through an attorney, stating that he stands by his care.

Both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Urban admitted during depositions that they had played music bingo during Mr. Writer’s surgery. Dr. Johnson described how bands like the Bee Gees or Neil Young would be used to mark off bingo letters.

The family learned about the music bingo game from a doctor not present during the procedure. The doctor reportedly told them, “I’m telling you this because I think that’s a major distraction.” This prompted Chris to hire a team of lawyers to take depositions of the surgeon and the anesthesiologist.

According to the lawsuit, the audible alarms had been turned off, and Mr. Writer’s body was draped for surgery so no one noticed his skin turning blue, an indication of oxygen deprivation. InSight’s staff noticed his abnormal vital signs 11 minutes into the surgery, according to notes obtained by 9News. However, by the time Mr. Writer was transferred to Sky Ridge Medical Center, a mile and a half away, it was too late.

An autopsy listed cardiac arrest caused by oxygen deprivation as the cause of death. Investigators concluded that his death was a tragic accident.

Chris shared her experience of being out running an errand when she received a call from the surgeon asking to meet her in the parking lot. “He asked if I believed in God,” she recalled. “Then he asked if I’d pray with him – and that’s when I knew something was wrong.” The surgeon then informed her that her husband had died.

“We had just talked about what we were gonna do for dinner that night,” she said about her husband. “He just never met anyone that he didn’t like and that didn’t like him, you know, it’s just that’s who he was.”

The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount. Chris, who would have celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary with her husband on July 15, remains heartbroken and angry. “They just didn’t pay attention. Maybe they do so many of these surgeries that it just becomes so routine,” she said. “I’m just infuriated.”

This tragic incident highlights the importance of vigilance and focus during medical procedures, especially those involving critical patient care. It also raises questions about the practices and distractions that can occur in the operating room.