An Ohio woman who died during a routine surgery performed by a controversial doctor was allegedly propped up to make her look alive in an attempt to fool her family into believing she had survived the procedure, a lawsuit claims .
The family of Sheila Sue Trimble claims the 65-year-old was in “good health” when she went to Adena Health in Chillicothe on August 18 for a cardiac catheterization. That procedure was simple and routine, the complaint alleges.
They claim they were urged to turn off Trimble’s life support even though hospital staff knew she had already died.
Details seen by local newspaper the Scioto Valley Guardian show Trimble died at 1 p.m., according to the indictment. Her death certificate lists the time of death as 3.05pm – the same time her family was brought in, it is claimed.
In Facebook posts, several members say that Dr. Jarrod Betz, Trimble’s cardiologist, repeated the claim that he had severed an artery during the original surgery.
Betz has struggled before to research to accusations that he does not have the proper qualifications to perform complex and advanced cardiac procedures.
“Adena management, you’re saying this isn’t true. I know damn well that my sister died from having her aorta severed by Dr. Bets,” wrote Vickie Clark, an apparent relative.”
Speaking to DailyMail.com, a representative from Adena Health said they had no knowledge of any wrongdoing and called any reports of this ‘patently false’.
The family of Sheila Sue Trimble, pictured, claims she was supported to look as if she were still alive after she died in August during a routine medical procedure at Adena Health in Chillicothe, Ohio.
In Facebook posts, several members say that Dr. Jarrod Betz (pictured), Trimble’s cardiologist, admitted to cutting an artery during the original surgery
This is Adena Health where Trimble died on August 18, reportedly during routine surgery
Trimble’s family members first shared the misconduct allegations in mid-August after a Facebook account shared details of the woman’s death.
Tracy Clark McManis, who identified the then-unknown woman as her aunt, shared the post in which Dr. Betz was accused of cutting Trimble’s artery.
One of the woman’s relatives apparently contacted the Facebook account — which is dedicated to sharing issues within the Adena Health System — to share that she had died after a doctor punctured the wrong artery.
The story was then picked up by the Scioto Valley Guardian reporting that they had seen the woman’s own medical records.
In their story, the outlet stated that the family noticed a two-hour difference between Trimble’s time on her death certificate and hospital records.
The Scioto Valley Guardian did not publicly name the woman who died during the operation, but DailyMail.com was able to independently confirm her identity.
The online publication reported that her family was brought in to see her around 3:05 p.m. as she was propped up to look “fake alive.”
They claim they were urged to make an immediate decision to take her off the ventilator.
However, according to the family, her medical records showed the time of death was at 1 p.m., meaning her death occurred during the hours of a second surgery.
Trimble next to her granddaughter in a photo on Facebook
Dr. Jarrod Betz in a photo on the Adena Health website
The first operation was performed by Dr. Betz, but after her bleeding wouldn’t stop in intensive care, she was operated on again.
A message from Trimble’s daughter on the day of the operation confirms the story.
‘Update on my mother. She won’t stop bleeding. I tried 2 rounds of medication to stop the bleeding. No luck,” Jannell Fischer wrote on August 18.
‘I’m going back to the operating room to open her up again and see if they can find anything that could be causing the bleeding. Prayers are needed,” she said.
She was rushed into surgery again, this time together with Dr. Atiq Rehman, but died during the follow-up procedure, according to data reportedly obtained by the Guardian show.
When the family was brought in after the second operation, they were urged to make an “immediate decision” as she lay in bed on a ventilator.
In May, it was reported that Betz – who has performed at least three transcatheter aortic valve replacements – did not have the proper qualifications for the surgery.
Since September, more than 30 people have reportedly come forward to the Guardian and Dr. Betz has been accused of falsifying his credentials.
A second surgery to stop the bleeding was reportedly performed by Dr. Atiq Rehman (photo)
A representative from the hospital told DailyMail.com that these allegations are completely untrue and that the doctor’s credentials have been proven since the story broke.
Additionally, the outlet reported that Dr. Rehman and Dr. Matos Cruz had ever watched YouTube videos about medical procedures with which they were unfamiliar.
Families said one patient died after such a procedure, while another had to undergo three additional procedures at Ohio State University.
The family of the 65-year-old woman who died during cardiac catheterization subsequently requested an independent autopsy.
A representative for the hospital told DailyMail.com that the Scioto Guardian report is false and said the outlet has been “discredited.”
The spokesperson said there is no legitimacy in the report, nor in the allegations of impropriety regarding Dr. Betz or Dr. Rehman.