Several Missteps Found On Joan Rivers' Operation; Late Host Received Double Dose Of Anesthesia—Report
It appears that there have been several missteps during Joan Rivers' simple throat surgery, which may have led to her coma and, ultimately, death. A new report said she got more dosage of anesthetic than necessary and that the doctors failed to identify deteriorating vital signs before Joan went to coma.
Page Six reports that based on a federal report released on Monday, Joan Rivers had more dosage of anesthetic than appropriate for her body weight. The problem was that the Upper East side doctors who operated on her never weighed her to know the definite amount of anesthetic that she should receive before undergoing the throat procedure. It appears now that she got a huge dose, as indicated by the records in the clinic's computer.
The report by the Department of Health and Human Services showed that the legendary comedian received 300 milligrams of propofol at exactly 9:21 a.m. on August 28 at Yorkville Endoscopy. However, contrary to the records, the clinic's anesthesiologist reported that she administered only 120 milligrams. She also has an explanation for the double-dose recording in the Medication Administration Record. The anesthesiologist claims she had double-clicked on propofol 100 milligram for the computer records.
While the explanation of the anesthesiologist still needs to be corroborated and verified, the report says that Rivers was not weighed first before going through the throat surgery. This is reportedly a "very critical step" before administering anesthesia.
The federal report has found that the doctors in the room also "failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention" when her blood pressure fell and pulse stopped. This is considered the biggest blunder by the federal report.
Furthermore, according to the report, the procedure was carried out by an unauthorised surgeon who specializes in ear, nose, and throat conditions, who carried out procedures that Joan did not consent to. These findings add to the other "missteps" that are slowly being revealed ever since Joan Rivers' untimely death. It had also been reported that during one procedure, a doctor snapped a selfie with Rivers while she was in coma.
Melissa Rivers, the daughter of the "Fashion Police" talk show host and legendary comedienne, is reportedly "terribly disappointed" with the findings. She pledged to ensure that no such event would ever happen again with other patients, according to a statement by the law firm Gair, Gair, Conason, Steigman, Mackauf, Bloom & Rubinowitz representing Melissa.