A Washington state man is suing the University of Washington (UW), after two UW surgeons failed to locate his appendix and instead removed part of his colon – leaving the man with a litany of medical problems.
Attending physician Nidhi Udyavar was supposed to supervise surgeon-in-training, Paul Herman, as he performed an appendectomy on George Piano on December 6, 2022, according to Piano’s attorneys.
But Piano alleges that the surgeons failed to locate the organ and botched the surgery to such a degree that he was left in an even worse condition.
“When I woke up and came out of the drugs, I was in serious pain. Much worse than I had been in when I went to the hospital,” he told KIRO.
“I was suffering from a leaking colon that created sepsis and infection. And I almost died from it.”
The procedure was performed at the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest, in north Seattle.
After the surgery, Piano says that he needed an ileostomy bag installed and also required four additional surgeries. He continues to experience severe pain associated with the surgery. Piano’s lawyers say that he also delayed getting cancer treatment because of the injuries.
“It’s been a hell of a year,” he told KIRO. “I’m not the same person I was when this started.”
Piano told reporters that when he spoke with one of the surgeons involved in the attempted appendectomy, eight days after the initial surgery, the doctor “seemed to just make light of it.”
Piano’s lawyer, Edward Moore, described the accidental removal of his client’s colon as “mind-boggling.”
“I’ve never heard of someone who was unable to locate an appendix,” he told KIRO.
Piano’s lawsuit does not request any specific financial compensation, according to KIRO. The family said that they did not want to sue but felt there were no other options, given the lack of response from the hospital.
UW Medicine told KIRO that they “strive to provide the best possible care to all of our patients.”
This suit was just filed yesterday so, given the timeline, we are not able to comment on the specifics of the case.”
- The Messenger