Parents Sue Hospital for $17 Million After 13-Year-Old Girl Suffers Complications Following Heart Surgery
A family in Oregon has filed a $17 million lawsuit against Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. Ashok Muralidaran, alleging medical negligence after their 13-year-old daughter suffered severe complications during a heart valve surgery.
According to the lawsuit filed by Steven and Lori Stokes in Multnomah County Circuit Court, their daughter underwent open-heart surgery on August 15, 2025, to receive a new heart valve. The procedure, led by Dr. Muralidaran, required doctors to temporarily stop her heart while she was connected to a heart-lung bypass machine.
However, after the surgery was completed, the medical team reportedly could not restart the girl’s heart. The following day, she remained in intensive care, prompting doctors to place her on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a life-support system that pumps and oxygenates blood outside the body before returning it to the patient.
The parents claim doctors initially assured them that the operation had gone well and suggested their daughter’s heart was struggling due to the shock of surgery. They were told that ECMO support would help the heart recover and resume normal function over time.
According to the lawsuit, that recovery never occurred as expected. The family alleges that critical errors in medical care contributed to their daughter’s condition and is seeking $17 million in damages from the hospital and the surgeon.
The case has attracted widespread attention online, with some social media users focusing on the surgeon’s Indian heritage. However, the lawsuit itself centers on allegations of medical negligence and the circumstances surrounding the surgery, not the doctor’s nationality.
The legal proceedings are ongoing, and neither OHSU nor Dr. Muralidaran has publicly responded to the allegations in court.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
