Posted on 07/20/2009 9:08:36 AM PDT by rawhide
A Texas Airman stationed at an Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif. has lost both legs after surgeons reportedly botched a routine surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Colton Read, 20, underwent laproscopic surgery last week at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento. Laproscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that involves making a tiny incision to minimize pain and speed recovery time.
About an hour into the surgery, something went wrong. Read's wife Jessica told CBS11TV.com.
"A nurse runs out, 'we need blood now' and she rounds the corner and my gut feelings is 'oh my God, is that my husband?'" Jessica Read said. Read's wife said an Air Force general surgeon mistakenly cut her husband's aortic valve, which supplies blood to the heart, but waited hours to transport Colton Read to a state hospital with a vascular surgeon.
Read, who is still in intensive care, lost both legs as a result of the blood loss. Meanwhile, his gallbladder still has not been removed. Jessica Read said the doctor admitted his mistake, but under federal law the Reads cannot sue.
Jessica Read told FOX 40 she is appalled that the Air Force is even considering medical retirement or medical discharge while Airman Read is incapable of making any type of decision. She said he is not 100 percent lucid and is still heavily medicated.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Tragic. So awful.
Do they mean his Aorta? How the heck did they get into the mediastinum to mess up a heart valve?
AV
Military health care, a preview of 0bamacare.
nully, who was raised under Marine Corps medical care.
Sometimes that free health care is worth every cent you pay for it.
I’m curious to know why the doctors felt it necessary to remove the gall-bladder of such a young man.
I cannot think of any reason why this doctor would be in the circulatory system anyways. I could maybe see he nicked the abdominal aorta and as a result any major vessels below it were robbed of blood. I am not a doctor but this is my best opinion based on basic human anatomy.
He can’t sue, but they have some fiduciary responsibility, right? Right?
Standard Govt.-run military medicine...likely a young, inexperienced doctor with a scalpel in hand...good chance an affirmative action type...welcome to Comrade Obama's vision for everyone (except, of course, elitist scum such as himself).
“......under federal law the Reads cannot sue”
My recollection of the rules is that he can sue if the Fed government allows itself to be sued.
Other than that, the fiduciary responsibility does not extend beyond the medical retirement pension.
We here in our little town of 5,000 were soooo fortunate to have a world class surgeon for 20 years. He taught laparoscopic surgery by national hookup. When he left to take over dept. head in minimally invasive surgery at a major medical school, he personally found a qualified replacement for himself.
If it is not an emergency, never let any surgeon cut on you without knowing his qualifications.
vaudine
Probably not beyond normal retirement for honorable discharge and some (minimal) disability pay.
I was having some gall bladder troubles a couple of years back. The Doctors never for a second considered anything else but immediate surgery as “there’s nothing else to be done”. Unwilling to accept this I went to a Chinese herbalist who put me on some powders and the problem went away in a couple of months. He also cured by wife’s years long battle with chronic heartburn and stronger and stronger prescription antacids... also in a couple of months.
Now I only go to medical doctors as a last resort. All they know is drug and cut.
What a messed up situation. I feel for that guy and hope his wife honors her vows in the years to come.
This the type of care we all fear from a sloppy, indifferent gov system.
My daughter’s was removed when she was 25 after 4 trips to the emergency room in a few months. The bile can back up into the liver and cause more problems.
My sons Mother in law’s brother bleed to death internally ... following such surgery in Okla. City last fall.
He was taken back to his room, and they did not respond to loss of blood pressure ... thinking the cuff was malfunctioning.
His son was/is a Doctor in the same hospital ... he was not there at the time of the surgery. He refused suing under the circumstances. However, it was an blatant mistake by the nurse(in training) waiting before calling for help ... too late. His wife was present and beside herself by the inaction. No blood pressure wass a vital sign ... she was talking to him ... moments before.
Under obamacare he would have been killed, not able to perform his assigned duties and a burden to the government health care system.
What a terrible thing to happen to this young man.
Prayers up.
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