A local man is fighting for his life after a suspected botched surgery. He is currently suing doctors at UW Medicine and the state.
The suit alleges that a simple appendectomy went horribly wrong and surgeons instead removed part of his colon, nearly killing him.
Victim George Piano of Lake Forest Park said he wants to prevent this “medical negligence” from happening to others.
Piano said she is still suffering from what was supposed to be a standard appendectomy nearly a year ago.
“It’s been a really great year,” Piano said. km 7. “I’m not the same person I was when this started.”
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Last December, he went to the emergency room at the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest with abdominal pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis. Doctors said they needed to remove the appendix.
But after the surgery, he woke up in far more pain than before.
In a recently filed lawsuit, Piano claims that instead of removing her appendix, doctors removed part of her colon and punctured the organ, leaving her appendix in place, which needed surgery. .
“I was suffering from a leaky colon that caused sepsis and infection. And I almost died from it,” George Piano told KIRO 7.
A follow-up visit to the University of Wisconsin Medicine required a CT scan, which confirmed that Piano’s appendix had not been removed. Edward Moore, one of Piano’s lawyers, 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.
Moore said he has seen surgeries that go awry, but nothing like this.
“I’ve never heard of anyone who couldn’t find their appendix,” Moore says. “It’s mind-boggling that it would cause this kind of harm and disruption.”
Piano had to undergo four more surgeries, needed an ileostomy bag, and was left with an open gash the size of a billiards ball in her abdomen for months, all in severe pain. This was done while fighting against
“Understandably, this series of events has disrupted their lives in countless ways. Both George and (his wife) Betsy are left with open wounds, severe pain, multiple hospitalizations, constant medical treatment, and long-term… “We did not anticipate that he would spend more than a year dealing with the debilitating effects of this botched surgery. George will live with the scars, associated scars, and sequelae of this botched surgery for the rest of his life,” Piano’s attorney said. stated in a press release.
Since his medical ordeal, George Piano said: km 7 He has also lost 40 pounds, spent a total of 53 days in the hospital, has anxiety and is dealing with short-term memory loss. I also had to delay receiving treatment for my cancer.
“George has suffered from a number of medical issues that did not exist prior to his surgery on December 6, 2022… requiring surgical treatment for an infection, delays in receiving cancer treatment, and extreme I endured pain.” Moore added in his statement.
“For a family to go through such trauma by witnessing their loved one. It’s terrifying,” said Betsy Piano. km 7.
Piano’s lawsuit accuses her former surgeon of medical negligence.
At this time, the lawsuit does not seek a specific monetary value. The attorney said it should be up to the state medical board to allow the accused surgeon to practice.
The University of Washington responded to KIRO 7’s request for comment: Their safety and well-being is extremely important to us. The lawsuit was only filed Thursday, so due to scheduling considerations, we are unable to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit. ”
contribution: km 7