Sunday, December 23, 2007
Avoid surgery in Tanzania
Oops:
On November 8, surgeons at Tanzania's main Muhimbili Hospital opened the skull of Emmanuel Didas to remove a non-existent brain tumour while Emmanuel Mgaya, who had the tumour, underwent knee surgery.
I'm thinking that there are at least two "Emmanuels" in the world who are unlikely to obey the seasonal injunction to "rejoice".
5 Comments:
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Dec 23, 09:05:00 PM:
Re: Two Emmanuels
I presume one is Emmanuel Didas. But who is the other one? Emmanuel Mgaya died four days after a second operation.
By Purple Avenger, at
Sun Dec 23, 09:58:00 PM:
I don't trust'em here in the USA. I've had a few surgeries and take a magic marker and write "cut here" with an arrow to the area of interest.
When they wheel you in, remark audibly and loudly to the nurses and anesthesiologist what the procedure is to be.
By TigerHawk, at
Sun Dec 23, 10:32:00 PM:
Good point, DEC. I was guilty of being more interested in the quip than in the details. I must say, though, the story itself strikes me as a Jungle Trader classic.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Dec 23, 11:07:00 PM:
"...the story itself strikes me as a Jungle Trader classic."
You're right, TH. But your Australian source is slow. Jungle Trader had the story on November 8. (The title of the post is "Confusion.")
By SR, at
Mon Dec 24, 11:10:00 AM:
If you feel uneasy about your American doc's rehearsing the litany of your procedure with the staff in the OR, thank your federal government whose mandated accreditation organization (Joint Commission) has decided without proof of any kind that taking a "time out" before surgery will result in fewer errors.
