Man accuses Northwestern medical providers of failing to diagnose brother's fatal cardiac disorder

A Cook County man is suing over claims his brother died after his cardiac disorder allegedly went undiagnosed at the emergency room of a Chicago hospital.

Deb Bardhan, individually and as independent administrator of the estate of Arindam Bardhan, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Oct. 27 in Cook County Circuit Court against Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, Northwestern Medical Group, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, Northwestern Memorial Physicians Group, and Drs. Edwin Wu, Yusra R. Cheema and Hossein Ardehal.

According to the complaint, Wu, Cheema and Ardeha treated Arindam for emergency cardiac treatment at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Oct. 25, 2010. Deb Bardhan claims hospital staff failed to recognize abnormalities in his brother's monitor testing and take into account his unexplained syncope or fainting experiences.

Arindam was discharged Oct. 26, 2010, with dehydration and syncope, and he died July 12, 2012 of a cardiac issue, the suit states.

Bardhan says on June 2, his family learned that Arindam suffered from a rhythm disorder of the ventricles of the heart, which he asserts was present and should have been diagnosed and treated during his brother's 2010 emergency visit to Northwestern.

The suit accuses the defendants of failing to perform appropriate testing given the clear symptoms of cardiac disease and negligently discharging Arindam.

Bardhan is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is represented by attorneys Stephanie K. Nathanson and Michael T. Peterson of the Law Offices of Stephanie K. Nathanson in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L011120.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.