A surgeon at a certified bariatric center of excellence
performs a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on a 42-year-old woman with a BMI of 42 and associated hypertension. On postoperative day 1, she is doing fine and is discharged to home, which is 90 miles away. On postoperative day 2, she calls her surgeon's office with a complaint of abdominal pain
and gets the answering service. She does not receive a call back from the covering bariatric surgeon.

She calls the office on postoperative day 3, and a triage nurse responds telling her that the covering surgeon will call her back, but no one does.
On postoperative day 5, the patient presents to her local emergency department in septic shock. CT scan shows evidence of a leak.

The local emergency department does not
have a bariatric sturgeon, and the on-call surgeon is not comfortable taking care of this patient. The patient is transferred back to the operating surgeon's hospital after discussion with the covering bariatric surgeon.
The patient makes it to the emergency department but then dies shortly thereafter. The patient's family decides to sue. In deposition, the bariatric surgeon claims no calls were made to the covering bariatric surgeon.

Who is mostly at fault for this
outcome?
A. The operative bariatric surgeon
B. The answering service
C. The covering bariatric surgeon
D. The local emergency department
E. The local general surgeon


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A surgeon at a certified bariatric center of excellence performs a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on a 42-year-old woman with a BMI of 42 and associated hypertension. On postoperative day 1, she is doing fine and is discharged to home, which is 90 miles away. On postoperative day 2, she calls her surgeon's office with a complaint of abdominal pain and gets the answering service. She does not receive a call back from the covering bariatric surgeon. She calls the office on postoperative day 3, and a triage nurse responds telling her that the covering surgeon will call her back, but no one does. On postoperative day 5, the patient presents to her local emergency department in septic shock. CT scan shows evidence of a leak. The local emergency department does not have a bariatric sturgeon, and the on-call surgeon is not comfortable taking care of this patient. The patient is transferred back to the operating surgeon's hospital after discussion with the covering bariatric surgeon. The patient makes it to the emergency department but then dies shortly thereafter. The patient's family decides to sue. In deposition, the bariatric surgeon claims no calls were made to the covering bariatric surgeon. Who is mostly at fault for this outcome? A. The operative bariatric surgeon B. The answering service C. The covering bariatric surgeon D. The local emergency department E. The local general surgeon The Correct Answer will be at first Comment .login to see or add comments and answers
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