Anesthesiologist faces manslaughter charges in 'music bingo' death
An anesthesiologist who last year admitted to engaging in a game of “music bingo” that led to the death of a patient has been indicted on manslaughter charges in Colorado.
Michael Urban, MD, 68, was criminally charged after a long investigation into the incident, which involved the death of Bart Writer, who was undergoing routine cataract surgery. At some point during the procedure, the 56-year-old stopped breathing, and both Urban and the surgeon failed to notice.
A civil lawsuit brought by Bart’s widow, Chris Writer, was settled out of court. But Urban and the surgeon, C. Starck Johnson, MD, admitted that, during the procedure, they were playing a game of music bingo—where audible tracks from the 1970s and 1980s were played during the operation, with the duo attempting to match the names of artists to the letters “B.I.N.G.O.”
An alarm on a device that monitored Writer’s vitals was turned off during this game. Johnson—the defendant in Chris Writer’s lawsuit—ultimately blamed Urban for the failure to check vitals to ensure their patient was safe.
The surgeon denied being aware any system was turned off, and settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.
An autopsy concluded Bart Writer died of cardiac arrest as a result of low blood oxygen levels, linked to the distraction of music bingo.
As for Urban, he moved to Oregon after the incident, where he remained licensed to practice medicine. He has since retired. Now he faces charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Bart Writer.
A warrant has been issued for Urban’s arrest, but it’s not clear if he’s turned himself in to face justice.
The deadly game of bingo happened in Feb. 2023. Johnson has not been charged.
Questions left unanswered
In an email to HealthExec, Chris Writer said she “learned a lot in the civil case and then the district attorney took it over.”
She added that a grand jury ultimately made the decision to charge Urban on the two counts.
“Bart did not die because of a simple medical error or an unavoidable mistake. His death was the result of gross negligence. Urban’s reckless conduct, including turning down or disabling alarms which were in place in order to save Bart's life, engaging in distracting activities—music bingo—and reportedly turning off anesthesia monitoring equipment after the procedure, deleting critical data. [His actions] demonstrate a blatant disregard for life,” she wrote.
She questioned how many other safety incidents involving Urban went unnoticed, and chastised the state medical boards for allowing the anesthesiologist to continue practicing medicine. Writer added that the criminal charges have re-opened deep wounds and caused her immense grief.
“Bart’s death was completely devastating to me, our young son, his brother, our families and Bart's large group of close friends. What followed compounded that devastation. At the lowest point of my life, while struggling simply to survive the grief, I learned that it would fall to me, our family and to our small legal team to uncover the truth and pursue accountability,” Writer stated.
“I am forever grateful for the unwavering support I have received from our tight circle.”
Johnson and Urban were not the only two in the operating room the day he died, raising questions of why no one else stepped in to help—or to stop the game the two were playing.
“There were 10 people in the OR that day. It was not the first time [Urban] and Johnson had played music bingo. It was not the first time a patient had been over-sedated, monitoring alarms had been turned down or silenced, and it was not the first time no one said anything because they feared repercussions for speaking out,” Writer told HealthExec.
“We must do better. Lives depend on it!” she concluded.
This is a developing story.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.