At least eight babies undergoing pediatric open heart surgery have died at a West Palm Beach hospital since 2011, CNN reports.
A Freedom of Information request with the state of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration found that at St. Mary’s Medical Center, the rate of deaths for open heart surgery was 12.5 percent, three times higher than the 3.3 percent rate reported by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, according to the CNN investigation.
Dr. Michael Black, St. Mary’s medical director of adult and pediatric cardiology, declined to speak with CNN. St. Mary’s is owned by Tenet Healthcare.