What is the hospital trying to hide?
How did this “simple” procedure get F’d up?
1. The procedure was not a simple tonsillectomy and not nearly as simple as it has been portrayed in the media.
2. But for purposes of discussion, let's assume it was. The Law of Large Numbers means that whenever a medical procedure is performed a great many times, even the simplest WILL have bad outcomes.
More than 500,000 tonsillectomies are performed on children each year in the US. A 1 in 100k chance of death means each year, on average, 5 children will die.
That's why for even the simplest procedures you are required to sign waivers that you have had the risks explained to you. Those risks exists, and anytime anesthetics are used, as an example, there is a non-zero risk of a very bad result.
THe hospital is not hiding anything. The negligence on the hospital side is likely vicarious. Bleeding tonsils are a known complication of the procedure. Additionally the child probably had a UPPP (reduction of obstructive tissues) as a function of her morbid obesity. By definition she likely has a difficult airway. When she started bleeding, it was probably the red sea in there. This is one of the most fearful complications. I have handled a couple of the cases and believe me I needed to throw away my underwear after all was said and done.