Consumer Watchdog Urges State To Take Action Against Heart Surgeon Who Left Surgery Early For Lunch

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The president of Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog wants the state to discipline a doctor who allegedly left a surgery early to go to lunch, leading to a tragedy for his 72-year-old patient.

Jamie Court claims Dr. Pervaiz Chaundry, a Fresno heart surgeon, left Silvino Perez's chest open and allowed a physician's assistant sew it up rather than finish the operation himself.

"And that resulted in Silvino Perez being in a persistent vegetative state," Court told KNX1070's Jon Baird.

Court wants the state to take action against Community Regional Medical Center for allegedly covering up for Chaudhry.

He also wants to see the doctor's license suspended, and claims going to lunch early seemed to be a pattern.

"Now there's allegations where this isn't the only case where that's happened," Court said.