A Colorado anesthesiologist was charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide after a patient died during routine cataract surgery in February 2023 at a surgical center south of Denver.

The accused is Dr. Michael Urban, 68, was in charge of the anesthesia when Bart Writer, 56, stopped breathing during the procedure at the InSight Surgery Center in Lone Tree. A game in the operating room changed the course of the investigation. Initially, both investigators and the patient's wife, Chris Writer, believed it was a tragic medical accident. However, that perception changed when an anonymous doctor contacted the widow with disturbing information. According to this testimony, surgeon Carl Stark Johnson and anesthesiologist Michael Urban used to play so-called "musical bingo" during operations, a practice that had allegedly been ongoing for some time. This revelation led the family to initiate legal action and obtain formal depositions from both doctors. Doctors admitted to playing musical bingo. During their depositions, Urban and Johnson admitted that they were playing the game on the day Writer died. According to Urban, the game involved playing loud music and associating artists or songs with the letters B, I, N, G, and O. “For example, if the 1970s group the Bee Gees sang a song, that would be the letter 'B,'” Urban explained in a statement quoted by NBC affiliate 9News. Alarms Disabled and Criminal Charges The civil lawsuit filed by Chris Writer alleges that doctors turned off or disabled alarms that alert staff when a patient's blood oxygen levels drop dangerously low. As a result of the investigation, Urban was formally charged this week. So far, It is unknown whether surgeon Johnson faces criminal charges.

“Everything was completely preventable”

Chris Writer stated that the criminal proceedings have been deeply painful, forcing her to relive the loss of her husband.

“It's so painful. It's so unfair. It should never have happened,” she told 9News. “There's no joy in any of this.Everything that happened was completely preventable. It's shameful,” he said. “One of the worst cases of malpractice.” The family's attorney, Dan Lipman, called the case one of the most egregious he has ever seen. "It wasn't the first time they played musical bingo while someone was under anesthesia," he said. “It was one of the most egregious cases of medical malpractice I've ever seen.” The criminal investigation is ongoing.