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Devastating Surgical Error Highlights Critical Need for Self-Advocacy

Patients who educate themselves and stand up for their rights have a better chance of survival

Gill McCulloch
Wise & Well
6 min readSep 16, 2024

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An adult couple sits holding hands across the desk from a doctor. On the desk between them are papers, pens and a phone.
Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels

William Bryan was vacationing in Florida with his wife when he started experiencing abdominal pain on his left side. After investigations at the hospital, a surgeon convinced him to get his spleen removed and said that if Bryan chose to leave the hospital without the surgery, he would experience serious complications.

Bryan reluctantly agreed to the procedure. However, during the operation, the surgeon mistakenly severed the major blood vessels supplying Bryan’s liver and removed his liver instead of the spleen. Bryan bled out on the operating table and died.

The liver is usually much larger than the spleen and is located in the upper-right portion of the abdominal cavity, while the spleen is in the upper left. A competent surgeon would not have made this fatal error.

The man’s distraught widow is calling for justice for her husband and wants to warn other prospective patients about the surgeon, according to an NBC News report. In a public service announcement, the family’s lawyer said there’s evidence this is not the first time the doctor has removed the wrong organ during surgery.

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Wise & Well
Wise & Well

Published in Wise & Well

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Gill McCulloch
Gill McCulloch

Written by Gill McCulloch

I write about first aid, subjects that move me deeply and situations that make me laugh. Founder, Safe + Sound First Aid Training Ltd. gillnmcculloch@gmail.com

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