Surgeon forgets to remove appendix during appendectomy

[brainhulk]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews...pendix-during-his-appendectomy-205103325.html

We have an operative report from Lawrence Hospital saying that the appendix was removed. Most importantly, we have the pathology report from Lawrence Hospital after the first operation which says what was presented to the pathology department was not the appendix

LoL

 

[lOl_lol_lOl]

Well, you don't always get what you pay for.

 

[sze5003]

I don't know what is going on in medicine anymore. My parents used to be doctors in their countries and it seems like healthcare here is getting worse each year. I had a root canal and a few days later developed a big abscess on the outside of my face mainly because the root canal was performed in an infected tooth and I was not given antibiotics until after.

 

[TwiceOver]

So why didn't pathology get back to the Dr. and ya know, say something. "Say doc, this isn't an appendix".

Glad the guy won't have to work anymore.

 

[waggy]

wow. ok they didn't remove it but didn't tell him?

 

[brainhulk]

Dude, I wonder why the anesthesiologist didn't step in...I woulda been like oh no my brotha

That ain't no goddam appendix

 

[KB]

A doctor that can't find the appendix needs to be fired.

 

[Aharami]

the doctor probably went to some med school in the Caribbean.

 

[brainhulk]

When we have a cardiac arrests in our hospital we check first what kind of insurance they have. If it's medicare or obamacare, we don't tend to provide heroic measures

 

[SunnyD]

When we have a cardiac arrests in our hospital we check first what kind of insurance they have. If it's medicare or obamacare, we don't tend to provide heroic measures

Unless it's a DNR you're checking for, you all should be taken out back and summarily executed.

 

[Aharami]

When we have a cardiac arrests in our hospital we check first what kind of insurance they have. If it's medicare or obamacare, we don't tend to provide heroic measures

quoted. someone find out where this guy works!

 

[Fritzo]

Appendix, larynx....one of those "ends with "X" things.

 

[glenn1]

When we have a cardiac arrests in our hospital we check first what kind of insurance they have. If it's medicare or obamacare, we don't tend to provide heroic measures

Unless it's a DNR you're checking for, you all should be taken out back and summarily executed.

Why? If true that's exactly what everyone who's honest agrees needs to be done so that costs for end-of-life extraordinary measures don't bankrupt the system, but everyone avoids saying outright because it sounds "mean." Just because you're on the taxpayer dime doesn't mean that the rest of us should always be forced to spend unlimited amounts trying to keep your ass alive.

 

[Jaskalas]

So... what DID they remove? :whiste:

 

[sze5003]

Why? If true that's exactly what everyone who's honest agrees needs to be done so that costs for end-of-life extraordinary measures don't bankrupt the system, but everyone avoids saying outright because it sounds "mean." Just because you're on the taxpayer dime doesn't mean that the rest of us should always be forced to spend unlimited amounts trying to keep your ass alive.

Don't medical professionals take an oath to help people? Why does it matter what insurance you have? Healthcare is screwed up in this country unless you get a government job and have the good stuff.

No wonder malpractice is so high because nothing is done to fix a person properly, but they can sue for 50 million. Fix the system, that person can be taken care of and live on 2 million if suing is needed, not 50..then you won't have high insurance rates as a result of doctors charging so much in return.

 

[SunnyD]

Why? If true that's exactly what everyone who's honest agrees needs to be done so that costs for end-of-life extraordinary measures don't bankrupt the system, but everyone avoids saying outright because it sounds "mean." Just because you're on the taxpayer dime doesn't mean that the rest of us should always be forced to spend unlimited amounts trying to keep your ass alive.

Provide the same level of care for private insurance as you would "public" care, and this wouldn't be an issue. And last I checked hospitals were required by law to provide the same level of care regardless of the patient's ability to pay.

 

[glenn1]

Provide the same level of care for private insurance as you would "public" care, and this wouldn't be an issue. And last I checked hospitals were required by law to provide the same level of care regardless of the patient's ability to pay.

Not a lawyer but I'm pretty sure that hospitals are only required to provide "stabilizing" care to all regardless of ability to pay, not the "same level." And I doubt you really mean what you just said considering the amount of fraud to the taxpayer that could cause. "Of course I had to run the $30k test on the homeless person that came in complaining of a hangnail, I have to provide the same level of care regardless of ability to pay, here's my bill to Medicare."

 

[Printer Bandit]

i check out yelp reviews before picking a hospital / doctor.

 

[HumblePie]

So... what DID they remove? :whiste:

How many posts did it take until this question was asked? sheesh!

 

[Thebobo]

So... what DID they remove? :whiste:

the Penix

 

[chiza]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here. The OP's title is intentionally misleading. The surgeon likely thought what he removed was the appendix.

We have no idea what the patient's history was. Many things can render the abdominal cavity a mess (previous surgery, inflammatory diseases, etc), and can obscure the normal anatomy of the GI tract. Occasionally it can be very hard to identify an appendix.

Who knows though, maybe the surgeon really does suck.

 

[Slew Foot]

Surgeon probably took something out that he thought was the appendix, but it turned out to be something else. Stupid people be outraged.

 

[sze5003]

When I had my appendix removed it was done with a computerized camera and laser mechanism.

It said the surgeon removed a yellowish mass which he probably thought was the infected appendix.

 

[SunnyD]

Not a lawyer but I'm pretty sure that hospitals are only required to provide "stabilizing" care to all regardless of ability to pay, not the "same level." And I doubt you really mean what you just said considering the amount of fraud to the taxpayer that could cause. "Of course I had to run the $30k test on the homeless person that came in complaining of a hangnail, I have to provide the same level of care regardless of ability to pay, here's my bill to Medicare."

I'm pretty sure when brainhulk said "heroic measures" in terms of cardiac arrest that meant going through the entire protocol (or lack thereof) to resuscitate the patient, and the end result would either be life (stable) or death. My guess is for those of less means they go with a bit of CPR, maybe a shock or two off a defibrillator and then they call it day. Ironically, the medicare patient will probably end up being billed more.

If the medical care system hadn't already been so broken by hospitals and medical professionals constantly trying to defraud both public AND private insurance companies exactly the way you describe, this would be a non-issue.

The only non-guilty party here is the patient (in most cases).

 

[5150Joker]

the doctor probably went to some med school in the Caribbean.

Dr. Kerin earned his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1994 and completed his general surgery residency at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Valhalla, New York.