Knee surgery turned deadly at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Willie Miles walked into County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center at daybreak on Aug. 5, 2011, a reluctant patient braced for doctors to re-engineer his failing right knee. Miles, 54, of Los Angeles, died six months later, never regaining full consciousness. What had begun as a routine knee replacement became anything but routine with the cutting of a key artery, massive blood loss and no blood on hand to replenish his body before it was permanently damaged. This is the story of what turned Miles into "Patient B," the name given him by federal inspectors to preserve his privacy. Harbor-UCLA officials said they could not respond, citing possible litigation.