Chicago cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Cosmin Dobrescu is staring down a high-stakes professional fight that could cost him his Illinois medical license, after regulators linked him to a fatal heart operation in Anchorage. An administrative trial to decide whether his license will be suspended, revoked or otherwise disciplined is set for March 31, 2026, following earlier actions in Alaska and New York that already stripped him of the ability to practice in those states.
State regulators press for discipline
As outlined in an opinion posted by Justia, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation temporarily suspended Dobrescu’s Illinois license in 2023 after Alaska summarily suspended his temporary permit, then filed an administrative complaint under the Medical Practice Act’s adverse-action authority. According to the court record, the department attached an Alaskan petition and a multi-page investigator affidavit alleging that a December 2022 surgery at Alaska Regional Hospital resulted in the patient’s death.
Alaska judge's findings and the fatal surgery
An Alaska administrative law judge reviewed evidence tied to that December 2022 operation, which public records say was intended to replace a stenotic aortic valve and revascularize coronary arteries in a 73-year-old man. The procedure stretched to roughly 13 hours and ended with the patient’s death. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the judge concluded the surgery “probably should not have been occurring,” faulted Dobrescu’s pre-operative decision-making, and criticized his failure to provide an operative report. The judge also found that Dobrescu obtained his Alaska permit without disclosing an active investigation in Virginia and said the record was ambiguous on whether blood products were administered properly during the emergency.
What the complaint alleges
The administrative complaint filed in Illinois describes a “cascade of problems” in the operating room and cites an investigator's affidavit that alleges multiple departures from the standard of care, including assertions that other clinicians witnessed unsafe practice and raised immediate concerns. The complaint states that the patient died from uncontrollable surgical blood loss and that Dobrescu’s locum tenens privileges were terminated the next day, according to appellate filings reported by FindLaw. Illinois regulators attached the Alaska petition, affidavit, and suspension order to their case file as evidence.
Next steps and possible outcomes
The March 31 administrative trial will be heard by an administrative law judge, who will issue findings and a recommendation to the Illinois State Medical Board. That recommendation will then go to the department director for a final decision, as described by the Chicago Sun-Times. Regulators are seeking a range of penalties, from suspension up to full revocation of his license. Dobrescu has publicly disputed the allegations and has said portions of the investigator’s affidavit mischaracterize events.
How the law treats out-of-state discipline
Under Illinois law, the department may discipline a licensee based on adverse action taken by another jurisdiction rather than having to re-prove every underlying fact, a procedural point highlighted in the appellate record and summarized by FindLaw. That setup means the upcoming hearing will largely turn on how much weight the judge gives Alaska’s findings and the supporting affidavits. Depending on the recommendation and any final order that follows, the case could ultimately end Dobrescu’s ability to practice medicine in Illinois.
