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 ...
Coming to a hospital near you soon! Obamacare!!
I have a friend who had a botched surg in a military hospital. He sued and won—in the millions. Pain and suffering included.
It was also a “simple” gallbladder removal. They took out half of his liver “by mistake”. He had to get a liver transplant.
At least he is comfortable in his old age.
This young fellow may never see his old age!
Coming soon to a hospital near you!
I'm real big on Vit C and castor oil packs. I'm 71 never go to the doctor and take no drugs and won't unless there's no other way out.
I've seen the damage of drugs.
Yeah. Similar thing happened to one of my uncles. They saved his life, but he’s lost control of his legs due to nerve damage.
I think he cut his abdominal aorta.
And, this young man still has his gallbladder. They can’t take it out because of his condition. They are afraid of infection.
Exactly.
And Sara, raised under Navy health care. :(
Don’t let BamBam do it to us!
gall bladder problems are often related to high fat diets and obesity - both of which are very common in the US.
PA’s are butter bars, and in some cases think they know more than the surgeons.
I understand what you did. I would have done the very same thing. For a doctor to screw up on something so simple, and then to take offense about it, tells me he is not qualified to be there. God bless the Korean nurse, she may have saved your life!
Really. . .but I was responding to your post about a young inexperienced doctor, not a PA.
Thanks.
Yup. . .she is a good one!
My dad was a Navy Mustanger. My family went to Portsmouth Naval Hospital for my care as a child a number of times. It never worked out for me. Twenty years or so later, a LCDR delivered my daughter. He had been up for over fifty one hours when he started my wife’s C-Section. He did a flawless job. Luck of the draw.
I am speechless. That is the doctor that was assigned to my bypass group. I was told she is one of the “best” for the bypass surgeries. Oh my GOD! I feel so sorry for Airman Read.
Thank God that you were warned! It is too bad that Airman Read had to suffer.
Travis is about half way between Oakland and Sacramento.
Not 90 miles from either one.
Here is a website of the family of this Airman, with an update
http://www.coltonread.com/coltons-story.html
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