Maurice Gibb's Brothers Question Hospital's Treatment

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The surviving members of the Bee Gees are criticizing doctors' treatment of their brother Maurice Gibb, who died after emergency surgery.

Robin and Barry Gibb questioned the decision by doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center to go ahead with the operation after Maurice had suffered cardiac arrest.

Maurice, 53, entered the hospital on Wednesday for emergency surgery to correct an intestinal blockage, and hospital spokeswoman Kathleen Dorkowski said he experienced the heart stoppage the next day before the operation was performed. Maurice died on Sunday after being in critical condition for three days.

"We believe mistakes were made and time was wasted," Robin Gibb, Maurice's twin, told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday.

"Protocol was not followed. Someone is responsible for the death," Barry Gibb told the BBC.

On Monday, Dorkowski said she could not comment on the brothers' allegations because of patient privacy laws.

Under Florida law, health officials can disclose information about investigations of doctors and hospitals only if state boards find complaints against them are justified. That process can take weeks.

The brothers did not immediately return a call to Robin Gibb's home in Miami Beach on Monday. Bee Gees manager Allen Kovac had no information about any possible legal action, said Kovac aide Carol Peters.

The Bee Gees, short for the Brothers Gibb -- Maurice, Robin and older brother Barry -- were a falsetto-voiced disco sensation during the 1970s, with a slew of hits from the movie Saturday Night Fever, including "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever."

Maurice Gibb, a recovering alcoholic, played bass and keyboard for the band.

The Gibbs' younger brother, Andy, who had a successful solo career, died in 1988 at age 30 from a heart ailment.