State: Joan Rivers' Doctors 'Failed to Identify Deteriorating Vital Signs'

The clinic where Joan Rivers had a medical procedure during which she suffered brain damage because of lack of oxygen 'failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention,' an investigation by the New York Department of Health and Human Services has determined.

Rivers, 81, was undergoing a laryngoscopy and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at Yorkville Endoscopy on Aug. 28 when she went into hypoxic arrest, which occurs when the brain lacks oxygen. Rivers was rushed to a hospital where she died Sept. 4 after being removed from life support.

The state Health Department's investigation of the Manhattan facility, which opened in 2013, determined that the clinic failed 'to ensure that patient care services are provided in a manner that protects the health and safety of all patients.' It also found that Yorkville Endoscopy failed to have a process in place to ensure that only authorized personnel were permitted in the procedure room and that only credentialed physicians can perform procedures, and to ensure that consent is obtained for all procedures that will be performed.

According to the investigation, an ears-nose-throat specialist 'who was not a member of the medical staff and was not privileged at the facility' performed two different 'nasolaryngoscopies,' one before the endoscopy and one after it. The procedure examines the nasal passageways and the area between the cavity of the mouth and the throat.

Rivers' manner of death was determined to be 'therapeutic complication.' The death resulted from a 'predictable complication of medical therapy,' the medical examiner's office said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Yorkville Endoscopy could not be immediately reached.

IN-DEPTH

First published November 10 2014, 1:24 PM

Maria Elena Fernandez

Maria Elena Fernandez is the Los Angeles entertainment correspondent. She started this role in May 2013. Fernandez is responsible for covering televsion, film, music, pop culture, and celebrity justice for NBCNews.com and Today.com. Fernandez reports to entertainment editor Courtney Hazlett.She previously worked at The Daily Beast and Newsweek. Before that, Fernandez was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 12 years. She also spent many years on the crime beat as a staff writer at The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Fernandez is the author of a children's book, 'The Secret of Fern Island,' which was published in 1996 under a pseudonym so that she wouldn't be stalked by screaming children. Fernandez is a member of the National Hispanic Journalists Association and the Television Critics Association.

from Google News http://#

via IFTTT

Tweet