A 58‐year‐old man from Riverside County is suing the University of California Board of Regents over a routine outpatient meniscus repair that resulted in the loss of much of his left leg.
According to court documents, Wayne Wolff checked into UCI Medical Center’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in April 2024, where Dr. Dean Wang performed the procedure.
Wolff’s family alleges that during surgery, Dr. Wang mistakenly severed and cauterized a major artery, believing it to be a vein, resulting in severe blood loss.
Court filings state that it took nearly 40 minutes to control the bleeding, and Wolff’s condition worsened over the following days despite repeated requests for diagnostic ultrasounds, which were initially denied and later canceled by Dr. Wang.
Three days after the initial surgery, a subsequent operation revealed that the artery had been completely severed, leading to the amputation of most of Wolff’s leg below the knee.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, abuse or neglect of a dependent adult, loss of consortium, and emotional distress. A spokesperson for the hospital reportedly declined to comment on the case.
