Poisoning patients...follow-up

http://www,wcax.com ^ | 04/07/04 | wcax-tv

[JimVT]

St. Albans, Vermont - April 7, 2004

A St. Albans surgeon who alleges someone purposely endangered his patients is resigning.

Dr. Ray Long says three of his patients were infected with deadly bacteria in December at Northwestern Medical Center. The incidents came after Long says he was about to blow the whistle on questonable practices by the administration.

Today Dr. Long says he is resigning because the hospital will not allow him to take certain measures to prevent infection for upcoming surgeries.

Northwestern Medical Center says the hospital already has proper infection control procedures in place. Measures that were confirmed by the Vermont Health Department yesterday.

Sera Congi - Channel 3 News

[JimVT]

I said I would follow-up with this one which originally could have been a real disaster story.

Not over yet but looking more like the Doc as a problem!

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[Vermonter]

Thanks Jim, keep us posted

[Riley]

All the world seems in tune
On a spring afternoon,
When we're poisoning patients in the park.
Every Sunday you'll see
My sweetheart and me,
As we poison the patients in the park.

--with apologies to Tom Lehrer

[DoughtyOne]

It looks to me like there's something going on with this physician. When the hospital states that it has proper procedures in place, they're not kidding. Hospital procedures are maintained and reviewed. They are not only reviewed, but hospital practices are also reviewed to see if those policies are put into practice. Whoe be the hospital that does not use those procedures, their license will be in serious jeopardy.

This guy may be on the outs with the hospital administration regarding some unrelated matter. It will be interesting to see if he re-enters the local medical community at another nearby hospital. If he doesn't, I'd suspect the guy was about to get his lunch handed to him an some unknown matter.

Still, it will be interesting to see what happen with regard to this. Perhaps it will be revealed that the hospital does have problems. You never know.

[LadyDoc]

you might want to read the book "the Death Shift" about that Texas nurse who killed a lot of babies in the PICU so she could be the heroine who resuscitated the kids.

The Pediatrician in charge of the nursery was forced out in a similar fashion, as was the nurse who tried to do detective work to figure out who was on call when these incidents occured.

Finally, a post op kid died, and the surgeon, who knew the kid should not have died, heard rumors of the previous deaths and who was suspected. So HE essentially told the hospital administrator "get rid of her, or I do my surgery elsewhere"...(which would cost the hospital money.

So they "eliminated her position". Later, she killed a kid working in a doctor's office, and after THAT incident, the local docs reported her-- and they were the first to report her to the licensing board.

Yes, there are crazy doctors, but I'd ask a nurse who works at the hospital who was right before I made a judgment. You see, as a doc, I would have to "keep quiet", but nurses gossip...

Whenever someone asks me how to find a new doctor after moving to a new area, I always say find a nurse at your church or at work, and ask her. They know...

[DoughtyOne]

It was the idea that some guy had introduced two varieties of staph in to the patient's IV that made me wonder about this. Most people with access to the IVs have access to things that would work better than staph. You know what they are.

I do realize this physician may be on target, but my (not infalible) instincts think otherwise for now.

Thanks for the comments.

[mlmr]

Sounds like he might be a "dirty surgeon." Every hospital used to have at least one.

[DoughtyOne]

I know what you mean. Perhaps this guy is just trying to provide an alternative blame to his own actions.

It will be interesting to watch as this plays out, if we ever hear the conclusion.

[DoughtyOne]

I know what you mean. Perhaps this guy is just trying to provide an alternative blame to his own actions.

It will be interesting to watch as this plays out, if we ever hear the conclusion.