§ CASE LIBRARY · CARDIAC NEGLIGENCE

Cardiac Negligence cases,
decided by the courts.

Published judgments of the courts of England and Wales in cardiac negligence claims, summarised in plain English and linked to their source. Claims that failed are included, because they show what has to be proved.

Judgments here

3

Claimant succeeded

2

Typical range

£30,000+

Largest stated sum

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Claimant succeeded

Dakin v South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

[2026] EWCC 26·2026·Liability decided at trial

A theatre nurse with worsening palpitations saw a hospital physician who admittedly failed to arrange 24-hour ECG monitoring. The judge found monitoring would have caught her atrial fibrillation in time for anticoagulants to prevent the stroke she suffered.

Palpitations that keep coming back need proper heart-rhythm monitoring. Where a missed test would have led to blood-thinning treatment, a later stroke can be laid at the hospital's door.

Claimant succeeded

HQA v Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

[2025] EWHC 2121 (KB)·2025·Liability decided at trial

A 25-year-old with congenital heart disease suffered a severe brain injury when her aorta was cut during a high-risk repeat sternotomy and it took around 24 minutes to get her onto full bypass. The judge found the surgeon should have exposed the femoral vessels in advance (saving around 13 minutes) and that consent was deficient; she would still have gone ahead with the operation, but with that precaution taken.

Surgeons planning a known high-risk operation must take reasonable precautions beforehand and tell the patient about them; a court can find negligence in planning and consent even where the intra-operative error itself was not negligent.

Claim failed

Negus & Anor v Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

[2021] EWHC 643 (QB)·2021·Liability decided at trial

The executors of Mrs Neill argued her surgeon should have enlarged the aortic root to fit a larger valve rather than implant a 19mm mechanical valve, and failed to warn her about that option. Eady J found the valve choice was not negligent and, although the possibility of root enlargement should have been mentioned, it would have made no difference to her decision.

A consent failure only leads to compensation if the patient would have made a different choice with proper information. Surgical decisions supported by a responsible body of opinion are not negligent just because another surgeon would have done differently.

About cardiac negligence claims →·The whole case library →

Contains information licensed under the Open Justice - Licence v2.0. Judgments from Find Case Law, The National Archives. Summaries are ours; amounts only where printed in the judgment.

This guide is general information about the law in England and Wales, not legal advice about your case. ClaimGavel is run by Costart Projects Ltd on behalf of Tomlin & Partners, a specialist medical negligence firm regulated by the SRA. The free assessment on this page is an AI overview to show you roughly where you stand; a solicitor confirms the position in a free, no-obligation conversation.