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A cancer patient is suing his hospital and surgeons after they allegedly removed the wrong organ during a botched appendix operation.
George Piano, 72, had been diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent surgery to have his appendix removed at the University of Washington Medical Center in December of last year.
But when the pain persisted after treatment, scans revealed that doctors had removed part of his large intestine instead of his appendix.
The intestine was now also leaking its contents into the abdomen, causing an infection and making the pain “much worse” than before the surgery.
George Piano, 72, pictured above with his wife Betsy, from Washington state, said doctors removed part of his large colon when they were supposed to remove his appendix.
He has already had four surgeries due to the botched operation, suffered an infection and had a billiard ball-sized wound in his abdomen that would not heal for months.
Mr. Piano has filed the lawsuit alleging medical negligence. He is pictured above in the hospital during treatment.
According to the lawsuit, since then, the father of two had to undergo four surgeries and had to defecate in a bag.
He has also suffered constant pain and a wound the size of a billiard ball in his abdomen that did not heal for months.
The lawsuit also says the botched surgery forced him to delay cancer treatment.
The former construction worker is seeking compensation for medical negligence from the hospital and its surgeons. Nidhi Udyavar and Paul Herman.
He has not said how much he is asking for, but his attorney Ed Moore said similar cases in the past have resulted in payments of between $500,000 and $3 million.
His case was filed in King County Superior Court on December 6 and a trial date was set for November of next year.
Speaking of his injuries, Mr. Piano, of Lake Forest Park, said KIRO 7 as she fought back tears: ‘It’s been a year of hell. I’m not the same person I was when this started.
“(But) I feel very lucky to be alive.”
He added: “We didn’t want it to happen to anyone else.
“Someone needed to put a stop to this and take responsibility and say this happened; we need to take action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Piano said in court documents that he went to the University of Washington Medical Center with abdominal pain on December 6.
Doctors rushed him to surgery, but when he returned he said the pain had already gotten worse.
A CT scan two days later revealed that his appendix was still in place, but that part of his intestine had been removed.
He was sent back to surgery on the day of the scan to have his appendix removed.
Piano said since the botched surgery he spent 53 days in the hospital, lost 40 pounds and developed anxiety and short-term memory loss.
He says in court documents that the multiple medical problems he has suffered “did not exist” until he underwent the botched surgery.
Piano also stated that he needed weekly home physical therapy visits and home nursing visits to check his vital signs.
In the lawsuit, Piano says doctors told him they removed part of his intestine because he had diverticulitis. — a medical condition in which small, inflamed pouches form in the wall of the colon.
Mr. Piano and his wife Betsy say they now receive weekly physical therapy visits and nursing home visits due to Mr. Piano’s condition.
The University of Washington Medical Center said its goal was always to provide patients with the best care possible. Pictured above: Mr. Piano during treatment.
A University of Washington spokeswoman said: ‘UW Medicine strives to provide the best possible care to all of our patients.
‘Your safety and well-being are deeply important to us. “We cannot comment on the details of the case.”
Appendicitis occurs when the appendix (a small finger-shaped pouch located in the large intestine) becomes inflamed and filled with pus.
Doctors removed the appendix to relieve pain and noted that the organ appears to have no function in the human body.
In cases where pain is left untreated, patients may face complications, including a ruptured appendix, which can cause a major infection in the abdomen.
About 250,000 Americans are diagnosed with appendicitis each year, which is usually treated through surgery. It is rarely fatal.
I went for surgery to remove my appendix. The doctors took out the wrong organ