Donavant v. Hudspeth

BILLINGS, Justice.

In March of 1979, the plaintiff, then aged 43, consulted Dr. Joseph Gaddy, a cardiologist in Winston-Salem, because of chest pain (angina). Dr. Gaddy referred the plaintiff to Dr. Fred Kahl, a cardiologist at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, for tests to determine whether coronary bypass surgery was indicated. Dr. Kahl concurred with Dr. Gaddy that the bypass operation was appropriate.

Dr. Kahl recommended the defendant, a surgeon at North Carolina Baptist Hospital, to perform the surgery. The seven-and-one-half-hour bypass procedure was performed on 29 March…