S'pore family questions Woodlands Hospital after mother, 59, died 4 months after heart surgery, hospital denies negligence

A 59-year-old woman died four months after suffering a cardiac arrest while recovering from heart surgery.

The cardiac arrest had left her with brain damage.

Her daughter has alleged that the hospital's failure to provide continuous cardiac monitoring delayed the detection of the cardiac arrest.

The hospital has denied any medical negligence, saying an internal review and independent experts found that the care provided met established medical and ethical standards.

Heart attack and surgery

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mo Jinying (transliteration) was admitted to Woodlands Hospital on Feb. 12, 2026, after suffering a heart attack caused by blocked coronary arteries.

Following surgery, she was to be discharged on Feb. 24.

Her daughter, Chen Yingxian (transliteration), said Mo sent her a voice message on Feb. 23 saying she was having difficulty breathing.

Doctors reportedly attributed the symptoms to her blood sugar levels and postponed her discharge.

The following morning, the family was informed that Mo had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Mo reportedly sustained brain damage.

Family questions monitoring arrangements

Chen said the hospital's report stated that because Mo's condition had initially been stable, her vital signs were monitored every four hours.

As a result, the hospital could not determine the exact time of the cardiac arrest, estimating only that it had occurred within a 29-minute window.

The family questioned why Mo was not placed on continuous cardiac monitoring, arguing that her cardiac arrest could have been detected sooner.

Family refused to withdraw life support

Chen said the hospital later diagnosed her mother as brain dead and advised the family to withdraw life support.

However, the family requested further CT and MRI scans, which they said showed that Mo was not brain dead but had suffered damage to her thalamus from oxygen deprivation.

Despite the hospital's recommendation to remove life support, the family chose to continue treatment, saying Mo could open her eyes, blink, and make simple responses.

Mo was admitted to and discharged from the intensive care unit several times before dying on Jun. 29 from a bacterial lung infection.

Chen said the family believes the outcome could have been different had continuous cardiac monitoring been used from the outset.

Hospital says no medical negligence found

Woodlands Hospital told Shin Min that it was deeply saddened by Mo's death and had extended its condolences to her family.

It said it had maintained regular communication with the family throughout Mo's hospitalisation, including holding several meetings attended by senior doctors, nursing supervisors, and hospital management, and providing written responses to their questions.

The hospital said it conducted an internal review of the family's concerns and sought opinions from independent clinical experts.

Both the review and the independent experts concluded that the medical team's care complied with established medical standards and ethical principles, and that there was no medical negligence.

The experts also supported the clinical treatment and medical decisions made during Mo's hospitalisation.

The hospital added that it remains in contact with the family and has invited them to participate in mediation.