Murtha (see below) death was surgeon slip-up

[Mini 9]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/...latestnews

[jardster]

"slip-up"......... or maybe a well known complication of this surgery.... I guess you are a general surgeon and can tell us the complication rate during this procedure in a 77 year old man.

[graylocks]

is it just me or does anyone else NOT click on a fauxnews link and waits until the item shows up on a real news source?

[cbelt3]

I'm not buying that it's a 'common problem'. While post surgical infection IS relatively common, dying from it is less common. Carelessness or error during surgery, especially in the guts, can cause a huge wash of infection into the site that can be called 'post surgical infection' but it a lot more than 'oopsie, something slipped in there'.

Lots of people have gall bladder surgery and do just fine afterwards.

I just wonder if this is a side effect of the level of care problem at US Military hospitals (think VA, although it's a different branch)

[N-OS X-tasy!]

You know, when I saw the headline yesterday about Murtha's death the conspiracy theorist in me wondered whether foul play might be involved. After all, this is not type of thing one would expect to befall a Senator; those guys make sure they get the very best of everything, including medical care.

I immediately dismissed those thoughts, but now I'm not so sure...

[davester]

Yep. I don't see any mention of this on actual news sites so I'm going to withhold judgement.

[NewtonMP2100]

...so it was a Murtha f**kup....?

[rankandfile]

I'm with graylocks and Davester.

The last time I checked a Fox link, it had a poll with no possible positive responses.

[$tevie]

I actually think that most of the potential complications/deaths after gall bladder surgery in this day and age are due to surgeon error. Things are quite close together and the wrong organs can get nicked. I'm willing to be corrected but I'm inclined to believe this story.

[Janit]

In this case, the story originates with the AP, and it has been picked up by many other media. I heard it on the news as well--can't remember which network, but it wasn't Fox.