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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
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.