Surgical Branding

[Nyufrost]

Every time I see one of these frivolous lawsuits, I what in the heck is the matter with people and --worse-- what is the matter with the legal system that allows these people to get away with this stuff.

Now, a woman is suing the doctor who performed her hysterectomy (removal of the female reproductive organs) because he branded her uterus during the procedure. That might sound gross but surgeons *do* use that technique regularly to pinpoint areas where they are working.

The doctor claims this was explained to the patient before the surgery. I believe it because my mom had to have some surgery and they did the same thing and explained the reason for it ... she now has a little tiny "tattoo" as a result.

But, when compared to life saving surgery, what the heck difference does it make? And, especially with this woman filing the lawsuit since the organ was removed from her altogether and disposed of ... the mark was on the organ itself, not on her skin.

Instead of being grateful that her doctor saved her life, she is suing him! And, here is the good part ..... she has decided to do this A YEAR LATER after viewing her operation on a videotape and claiming it caused her "emotional distress" to see her uterus being branded!

Excuse me? Who in their right mind watches a videotape of their surgery as entertainment and --worse-- who would want to tape it?

READ THE ARTICLE

[Evlfrost]

Well there are a lot of dumb people out there who just want to whine. If I were a judge I would throw all of those out.

[TerraFrost]

well... no offense, but i hope that some doctor just decides *not* to operate on her the next time she needs it. i mean, if she would rather die than have what from that point on isn't much more than trash branded, then... i say she's made her choice - no more life saving procedures on her! yay!

[Javafrost]

It sounds like this guy had to mark the spot and chose a mark he relates to, which I think is just fine. There are common occurrences, though, of discourteous treatment of patients while they are unconscious, so it's possible that there's more to the videotape of the surgery than the article reflected.

On the one hand, if the thing was done in an inappropriate manner, it needs to be investigated, but on the other hand, if the thing was done as a matter of procedure in a professional manner, the lawsuit is just one of the zillions of 'em driving up costs for all of us. No way to tell without seeing the tape, which I have no interest in ever doing.

By the way, hysterectomy is one of the most commonly performed unnecessary surgeries (as well as c-sections and episiotomies).