Relatives of an American woman are suing a clinic where a surgery was performed that left a rolled-up towel inside the chest of a woman following surgery for emphysema. The towel had been left in her chest for years, and the woman had often complained of an odd feeling in her chest, but her doctors told her that it was just the symptoms of her emphysema, and that the benefits of the surgery would not last forever.
I've heard of people smuggling towels out of fancy hotels, but out of hospitals? This is ridiculous...
Here we see yet another example of surgical procedures gone bad. Not only did the surgeon leave a towel in the torso of this woman, he also blamed her condition, for the pain she was experiencing as a result. Good job, doc. The least you could have done is given her a towel with a nice imprint on it, say, a Disney character or something.
Of course, it's hard to blame only the surgeon in this case, since the woman had taken up the habit of smoking at the age of 15 and decided to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day until her lungs had been practically destroyed and she required surgery. If someone is going to effectively commit suicide by taking up a heavy smoking habit, it's sort of hard to blame surgeons for whatever happens to that person on the operating table.
My take on all of this? It's an example of an irresponsible patient meeting a careless surgeon. The result? Skyrocketing healthcare costs and medical malpractice lawsuits that help no one. The real blame here, I think, goes to Big Tobacco, which of course was manipulating nicotine levels in cigarettes in order to addict people for a lifetime.
Hey, maybe it was a Marlboro towel.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, August 19, 2004
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