Ben Carson: Bungling Surgeon

[YankeeFan]

He's not just stupid, he's a terrible surgeon too!

Judging by White House wannabe Ben Carson’s track record as a neurosurgeon, his presidential campaign should be declared dead on arrival!

In a bombshell investigation into his medical career, The National ENQUIRER has exclusively learned the now retired doc allegedly butchered one patient’s brain — and EVEN left a sponge in another’s skull!

According to at least six malpractice lawsuits against Carson obtained by The ENQUIRER, the Republican candidate allegedly rushed patients into surgery, and brandished a scalpel like a meat cleaver!

Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge In Patient’s Brain! - The National Enquirer

 

[amraeder]

FWIW, leaving sponges in patients isn't totally uncommon. Most (I imagine almost all) hospitals now have a policy of doing counts before the incision and after the closing to make sure they don't leave sponges in a patient, but even these counts can come back wrong just through natural human error.

 

[Mr. Sunshine]

He's no Kermit Gosnell.

 

[Stoney]

FWIW, leaving sponges in patients isn't totally uncommon..

Small consolation to the dude with the sponge in his head.

 

[amraeder]

I mean, yeah, it sucks and it shouldn't happen. It's eminently preventable. If you go in with x number of sponges, make sure you have x number at the end. BUT, it likely happens multiple times a day in the US.
I guess I'm just thinking - I wouldn't really be stunned to hear this happened to any surgeon.

 

[da man]

I mean, yeah, it sucks and it shouldn't happen. It's eminently preventable. If you go in with x number of sponges, make sure you have x number at the end. BUT, it likely happens multiple times a day in the US.
I guess I'm just thinking - I wouldn't really be stunned to hear this happened to any surgeon.

The other question is, is it the surgeon's job to keep count, or one of the nurses?

I really have no idea. I would just think the surgeon might have more technical things to think about during an operation.

 

[YankeeFan]

Ben Carson: Pompeii Victims Should Have Outrun Lava - The New Yorker

Well, they should have at least tried to outrun the lava!

 

[JohnHammond]

Sorry, should have posted that in the "solve gun violence" thread.

 

[amraeder]

The other question is, is it the surgeon's job to keep count, or one of the nurses?

I really have no idea. I would just think the surgeon might have more technical things to think about during an operation.

That may well vary from organization to organization. I don't really know. Counts happen before and after an operation (before the incision, and after the patient has been closed), so the surgeon isn't hands deep in spleen when they happen. My guess if you asked an organization officially they'd say "everyone in the OR is responsible for ensuring a correct count."

 

[The Big Ragu]

I have no idea if he was or wasn't a good surgeon. Doesn't matter much to me either way. He's not operating on me. But the one thing I'd be curious about is how many malpractice suits a neurosurgeon typically faces.

The immediate reaction of most people, I am sure is, "at least 6 malpractice suits, he must be horrible!"

But most neurosurgeons are probably doing surgeries with a high probability of a bad outcome regardless of their skill as a surgeon -- which could mean unhappy patients or family members. I wonder if neurosurgeons -- even really good ones -- face a lot of malpractice suits. And if 6 over his entire career actually might not be a lot relative to the profession. I'd like to know that before jumping out of my skin at the number. I don't know the answer, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a profession where the average practitioner (good and bad ones) can expect to get hit with lawsuits -- many unwarranted. The question is, was he getting hit with more than most, and if so, did they have any merit?

 

[JayFarrar]

I thought you meant to post this one

Ben Carson Shattering Stereotype About Brain Surgeons Being Smart

Also of note, I reported once on a story where a noted pediatric neurosurgeon was being sued because he had operated on the wrong side of the brain.

And after cutting off part of the kid's skull, and going in and not being able to find the tumor, that's when he realized he had opened up the wrong side. Oops.

That was a multi-million dollar judgment.

As someone who has covered health care, I'd just say that the number of malpractice suits against a doctor is a terrible misleading number as it doesn't really mean what people think it means.

Doctors get nuisance suits all the time and that's also why the number of settlements is also misleading as those are almost sealed but tend to be relatively small amounts.

A much better number is how many judgments have been entered against them. Those come with real numbers and they can be eye popping.

 

[Batman]

FWIW, leaving sponges in patients isn't totally uncommon. Most (I imagine almost all) hospitals now have a policy of doing counts before the incision and after the closing to make sure they don't leave sponges in a patient, but even these counts can come back wrong just through natural human error.

Arent's some intentionally left in there as well? Thought I remembered reading some years ago how they'd come up with biodegradable sponges that were designed to be left inside a patient to help with excess bleeding or somesuch.

 

[SnarkShark]

The National Enquirer. Nice.

 

[User 11148]

That may well vary from organization to organization. I don't really know. Counts happen before and after an operation (before the incision, and after the patient has been closed), so the surgeon isn't hands deep in spleen when they happen. My guess if you asked an organization officially they'd say "everyone in the OR is responsible for ensuring a correct count."

A few years ago I got involved with some guys doing research work into RFID tagging. Was talking about it with a friend of mine who's a medical devices rep and he told me that more and more they are tagging sponges and then running a scanner over the patient before they close him/her up. The company that was marketing that back then would sell a kit with a single-use scanner and then an ample supply of sponges for something like $8,000. One hospital's accountants balked at the $2 to $3 million annual price tag, but then the legal team told them it'd save about $10 million a year in claims and insurance.

 

[YankeeFan]

It beats the Conservative Treehouse.

 

[SnarkShark]

Might as well have posted an Onion article.

 

[Big Circus]

A few years ago I got involved with some guys doing research work into RFID tagging. Was talking about it with a friend of mine who's a medical devices rep and he told me that more and more they are tagging sponges and then running a scanner over the patient before they close him/her up. The company that was marketing that back then would sell a kit with a single-use scanner and then an ample supply of sponges for something like $8,000. One hospital's accountants balked at the $2 to $3 million annual price tag, but then the legal team told them it'd save about $10 million a year in claims and insurance.

That's brilliant. Did it go anywhere?

 

[YankeeFan]

Might as well have posted an Onion article.

You doubt the Enquirer?

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I think the average neurosurgeon has something like a 20-percent chance of getting sued in each year of practice.

 

[User 11148]

That's brilliant. Did it go anywhere?

Not sure where it is, now. A quick Google says a few years ago it'd been given FDA approval of some sort, but that's all I've got.