Air Force probes surgery at base; Airman loses legs after gallbladder operation

Seattle PI ^ | 07/22/2009 | Carrie Peyton Dahlberg

[iowamark]

A 20-year-old airman was in critical condition at University of California Davis Medical Center on Monday, after losing both legs in what his family described as complications of routine gallbladder surgery.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 20-year-old airman was in critical condition at University of California Davis Medical Center on Monday, after losing both legs in what his family described as complications of routine gallbladder surgery...

Read, who was stationed at Beale Air Force Base east of Marysville, Calif., was supposed to get his gallbladder removed laparoscopically at the Travis hospital, said his wife, Jessica Read.

Instead, a device being threaded into his belly nicked or punctured the aorta, a large artery that carries blood from the heart throughout the body, she said.

Surgeons opened his abdomen and were able to repair the breach well enough to save his life, but in the process or afterward, something apparently disrupted the blood supply to his legs.

Jessica Read said she was told the aorta was sewn together incompletely and began leaking, and her husband was flown to UC Davis Medical Center late that afternoon for more specialized vascular surgery.

Her uncle, Dr. Michael Hines, a Texas surgeon, said he was told by the UC Davis surgeon who operated on Colton Read that two branching vessels from the aorta that carry blood to the legs were clotted and closed...

Colton Read has undergone surgeries that removed first the lower-right leg, then the lower-left and more of the right, his wife said. Hines said he had "a hard time understanding how he ended up with no legs ... how you leave an operation without assuring that there is blood flow."...

[iowamark]

Colton Read family website
"Update
07/20/2009 48 Comment(s)

Not good news for today.Colton's fever is 103.9 degrees.

It is not his blood, his sputum or his bile - that leaves the right leg, which means we may lose it to the hip.

He is in a catatonic state now and does not respond at all - no talking, no moving, just lies there while tears drip down his face. It is like shock, but the doctors are saying no. They ran a cat scan on his head and found no blood clots and "normal brain activity."

They are still concerned about his gall bladder, his liver and stomach. They can't do a contrast MRI because his kidneys are not strong enough to take the contrast. They are going to try an ultrasound prior to surgery in the morning. He is scheduled for 12 noon here to go in and evaluate and decide on the leg. Please pray. Without that thigh leg, there will be no hope for walking on prosthesis.

There is just nothing we can do to help him except take turns sitting with him and praying."

[iowamark]

Earlier thread on Airman Read:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297892/posts

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

Good God, what a tragedy. I cannot imagine the lad’s pain and sorrow. Our thoughts and prayers will be for you Colton, and your family. Have strength.

TC

[iowamark]

An incredibly sad story. Please pray for this young man, if you pray.

There have been many cases of death after laparoscopic surgery because an artery was accidentally cut.

This is not the place to make remarks about Obama’s health plan. Please keep the focus on Airman Read and his family.

[allmost]

Pray for the poor man. Suspect the timing out of the left coast. I don’t give those physicians an inch.

[Vanders9]

It just goes to show there is no such thing as a “minor operation”, particularly for the person being operated on.

[freekitty]

OMG, what the hell happened here? Are we already into Obama care? There are not enough words nor are there reasons enough to explain this.

[Cindy]

YEP.

[Pajamajan]

Prayers being said......

[edpc]

Thank you for posting this update and family site link here and on my previous post. I’d urge everyone to visit the “How can I help” and “Contact” sections. We need to do whatever we can for him and his family. Unbelievably tragic.

[clee1]

How in the world, with a surgeon in the family, do you allow the military to operate on you?

Come on! Military medicine, once away from the battlefield, well.... sucks!

[norge]

There have been many cases of death after laparoscopic surgery because an artery was accidentally cut.

Unfortunately, you're right. It happened to me during a fairly "routine" removal of a kidney stone, by way of laproscope. An artery was nicked, and I was in intensive care for 6 days. No further complications, thank God, but I am well aware of the possible danger of the procedure.

[freekitty]

I am so glad you are okay.

[norge]

Thank you, but it happened in 1984, so I think I’m safe :).

[Venturer]

Makes me want to cry. This young man torn apart in the prime of his life.

May God go with him.

[samtheman]

What a horror story. That poor, poor guy.

[Guenevere]

Praying.

[EmilyGeiger]

How horrible. Prayers for the family.

[Leisler]

You will get, when you get, the surgeon assigned to you. Or else. Since most people who work hard enough, long enough, to become physicians that we know now, will not want to enter or work in a Postal Service/DMV type bureaucracy and having lawyers and politicians telling they what, how, who, when, where to do...then these type of people will not be attracted or stay in the profession. So, after a while, like England, we will have to be flooded with third world physicians, we will have a bureaucratic/union labor force, coupled with a large administrative bureaucracy( does anybody believe there will be less paperwork) and all interfered with, overseen, constantly ‘reformed’ by government.

[Bigg Red]

So sad. Prayers for this young man and his family.