Attorneys John Shusted and Audrey Melli-Mirza Successfully Secure a Defense Verdict for an Interventional Cardiologist

On Friday, August 1, 2025, Audrey Rose Melli-Mirza and Jack Shusted secured a defense verdict for their client, an interventional cardiologist, following an eight-day trial in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The Plaintiff had alleged that the cardiologist was negligent in performing a cardiac catheterization on a patient who presented to the hospital’s emergency department with chest pain. According to the Plaintiff, the cardiologist failed to identify and treat severe coronary artery disease (CAD) during coronary angiography, leading to a subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) and the patient’s death six days later. On autopsy, one of the arteries was found to have an 80% stenosis.

Throughout the trial, the defense established that the interventional cardiologist fully adhered to the standard of care. A key element of the defense was that the coronary angiogram—properly obtained and interpreted—showed all coronary arteries clearly in orthogonal projections, supporting the conclusion that epicardial coronary artery disease was not the cause of the patient’s chest pain.

Expert testimony and supporting evidence further confirmed that the cardiologist correctly identified and diagnosed non-critical CAD in the left main artery, and that all treatment decisions were consistent with accepted medical standards.