Whistleblower lawsuit says neurosurgeons left patients anesthetized and safety concerns ignored

Three former surgical-services leaders at an Illinois hospital allege in a whistleblower lawsuit that a neurosurgeon fell asleep during surgery, patients were left anesthetized on operating room tables without surgeons present and hospital administrators retaliated against employees who reported the incidents.

The 18-page lawsuit, filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court, accuses OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois, of ignoring repeated patient-safety complaints involving...