27-year-old New York City mom dies after going into hospital to have cyst removed
A young New York City mother died at a local hospital after going in for what was meant to be a simple procedure, according to her family and their attorney.
Rosemary Abreu, 27, went to Lincoln Hospital, in the Bronx, to have a cyst in her left thigh removed on Sept. 21, attorney Sanford Rubenstein told ABC News on Saturday.
However, the procedure at some point went awry, and Abreu went into cardiac arrest, according to Rubenstein, who noted that he believes she went into cardiac arrest on the operating table.
Abreu was pronounced dead the next day.
She's survived by her mother and her two daughters, a 2-year-old and a 9-year-old.
Her family is now seeking $50 million in damages from the Bronx hospital and New York City Health + Hospital.
"This is tragic and unacceptable," Rubenstein said. "A single mother of two young girls should not die under these circumstances. ... She went in for a simple procedure which was to remove a cyst in the left thigh."
Rubenstein said Abreu was in perfectly good health otherwise. He believes the hospital either administered too much anesthesia or the administration of the anesthesia was improperly monitored.
Abreu's mother, Dorah Restituyo, was overcome with emotion Friday at a press conference.
"They killed my daughter. They killed her. I don't know why. I don't know what happened to my daughter," Restituyo said.
In a statement emailed to ABC News, a hospital spokesperson for New York City Health + Hospitals said: "The health and safety of our patients is always our number one priority. This incident is tragic, and we offer our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones. Patient privacy and confidentiality laws prevent us from commenting further on this case."
