George Piano and wife Betsy Piano appear in interview after filing lawsuit against University of Washington Northwest Medical Center and two surgeons (KIRO/Screen Capture)
About a year after going to the emergency room with appendicitis and being discharged from the hospital with part of his colon removed, a Washington state man has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a hospital and two surgeons. Even the lawyer was shocked.
George Piano of Lake Forest Park filed a lawsuit last week against the University of Washington Northwest Medical Center and two of the hospital’s surgeons, according to attorney Edward Moore, who said the surgeons trained with his doctor, Nidhi Udiyavar. He was identified as surgeon Paul Herman.
According to the plaintiff patient, George Piano needed an appendectomy on December 6, 2022, but surgeons were unable to find the appendix, so they ended up having part of his intestine removed. It is said that he suffered from sepsis and infection, was on the verge of death, and suffered numerous serious injuries. Additional surgery or hospitalization.
george piano I sat with KIRO In an interview about the lawsuit, he said, “I’m not the same person I was when this case started.”
“It’s been a really great year,” he said. “When I woke up and came off the medication, I was in a lot of pain, much worse than when I was in the hospital.”
Piano said she soon learned that part of her colon, not her appendix, had been removed and that she was “suffering from a leaky colon” which can lead to sepsis, infections and near-death experiences.
To make matters worse, Ms. Piano claimed that “she seemed to be downplaying” the surgeon’s follow-up visits. “That upset me.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone who couldn’t find their appendix,” said Edward Moore, a personal injury attorney for the plaintiffs.
“And it’s mind-boggling that it can cause this kind of harm and disruption,” Moore added.
moore law firm stated in the press release Piano’s appendix was removed on December 8, 2022, two days after the initial surgery, but the damage had already progressed.
“Doctors had to place an ileostomy bag in which Mr. Piano’s intestines protruded through his abdomen, allowing all waste to drain into the bag,” the law firm said. “George is suffering from a number of medical issues that did not exist prior to his surgery on December 6, 2022. Mr. Piano was required to undergo four additional surgeries and multiple hospitalizations. I had to undergo surgical treatment for an infection, delayed my cancer treatment, and endured extreme pain.”
A spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin Medical Center reportedly told KIRO that she could not comment on the case because it had just been filed, but stressed that the hospital is “working hard.”[s] “Providing the best possible care to all of our patients,” and their “safety and well-being are extremely important to us.”
But George Piano and his lawyers argue that the plaintiffs are literally scarred for life.
“Understandably, this series of events has disrupted their lives in countless ways. Both George and Betsy are left with open wounds, severe pain, multiple hospitalizations, ongoing medical treatment, and long-term debilitating treatments. “We did not expect to spend more than a year on this,” the law firm added. “George will live with the scars, associated scars and sequelae of this botched surgery for the rest of his life.”
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