Cheney’s heart doctor hit with a $15 million lawsuit

Key Takeaways

A lawsuit seeking $15 million in damages has been filed against George Washington University Hospital and Vice President Dick Cheney's cardiologist, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, following the death of a patient due to a heparin overdose. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the hospital's medical staff, including failure to identify and manage the overdose and neglect in monitoring the patient's condition. The patient, a 48-year-old vice chancellor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was in Washington DC to deliver a speech when the incident occurred. Legal proceedings highlight broader issues in medical malpractice and patient safety.

Willie Gary, JD, of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando in Stuart, FL, filed the medical malpractice suit demanding $15 million in damages in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Negligence in administering heparin?

The suit alleges that the hospital’s nurses negligently administered the heparin overdose and that several nurses and doctors negligently failed to identify the overdose, failed to appropriately assess and monitor vital signs, failed to appropriately monitor the patient’s condition, failed to recognize and report medical complications to supervising health care providers, and failed to administer an appropriate antidote for the overdose.

At the time of his death, the 48-year-old patient was vice chancellor for business and finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He had been invited to Washington to give a speech.