Here we go again

This isn't directly to do with Gord, but Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gees collapsed the other day with the similar problem Gord suffered in Sept. The hospital said they found serious internal bleeding in Maurice's stomach.

Here's the link: http://www.thisislondon.com/news/sho...ing%20Standard

[LAM3346E]

No, that doesn't sound very good at all....
and only 53. But, then look how tragically his brother Andy died. How old was Andy when he died? He had to be really young.

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lam

Andy was 30 something when he died, I believe the official cause was heart problems brought on by drug use.

[Auburn Annie]

Here's another recent article on Maurice Gibb's illness:
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Bee Gees star singer and bassist Maurice Gibb was reportedly in critical condition Friday in a Miami hospital after suffering a heart attack on the operating table, the BBC reports.
Doctors had been operating on Gibb, 53, in order to remove an intestinal blockage after he collapsed at his Florida home, but he suffered a heart attack during the surgery.

It was said that Gibb was complaining of stomach pains on Thursday morning.

His wife, Yvonne, and his two children are reportedly at his side awaiting updates, which Maurice's twin brother, Robin Gibb, has been forwarding to the BBC.

Robin said Maurice had been squeezing his daughter's hand and is "much improved," but that the next 24 hours would be "crucial," the news organization reports.

Fans also have been gathering outside the hospital.

The musician, along with Robin and older brother Barry, was one of the biggest pop stars of the 1970s. (The youngest brother, Andy, died of a heart attack in 1988 at the age of 30, following years of alcohol and drug problems. Maurice has also had alcohol problems in the past.)

The Bee Gees' soundtrack to the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring a young John Travolta in his first leading role, is credited with launching the worldwide disco craze.

[PEOPLE Online]
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From a later update:

A hospital spokesman said Gibb is suffering from an intestinal blockage that he has had since birth. Sources said Gibb underwent surgery to remove half of his stomach and most of his intestines. Gibb may also have suffered a minor heart attack during surgery.

Gibb's family was apparently at the hospital, where Gibb was said to have opened his eyes following the operation.

[This message has been edited by Auburn Annie (edited January 10, 2003).]

[Rob1956]

That just goes to show you that you have to pay attention to your body. Any kind of blockage in the intestines can really do a number on you very quick. You'd think that if a condition were present all his life, he'd would have been going for medical checkups on a regular basis...maybe Maurice did, maybe not. But it can creep up on you.. little Heather O'Rourke, the daughter in the first two Poltergiest movies...died of an intestinal blockage....lots of dogs and cats go that way too. Sometimes there are no warnings, but often there are and they can be subtle.

[Rob1956]

Sad news..Maurice died late Saturday or
early Sunday according to Reuters.

[LAM3346E]

So sad....so young.....

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lam

[Rob1956]

I assume that in the days and weeks ahead some news stories may leak out concerning how Maurice was feeling, did he have some warning signes that he ignored, or perhaps his physical problems were truly unexpected.
Let's not forget that last September, we came close to feeling as sad for Gord's family as we do for Maurice's tonight...
but fortunately, we have reason to be glad..
keep in touch with those you love...because they can be gone in an instant....

[on-susan's-floor]

Folks:
This doesn't sound good.

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Surgery Tools Left in 1,500 People a Year
Wed Jan 15, 5:09 PM ET


By JEFF DONN, Associated Press Writer

BOSTON - Surgical teams accidentally leave clamps, sponges and other tools inside about 1,500 patients nationwide each year, according to the biggest study of the problem yet.



The mistakes largely result not from surgeon fatigue, but from the stress arising from emergencies or complications discovered on the operating table, the researchers reported.


It also happens more often to fat patients, simply because there is more room inside them to lose equipment, according to the study.


Both the researchers and several other experts agreed that the number of such mistakes is small compared with the roughly 28 million operations a year in the United States. "But no one in any role would say it's acceptable," said Dr. Donald Berwick, president of the Boston-based nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement.


The study was done by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health, both in Boston. It was published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).


The researchers checked insurance records from about 800,000 operations in Massachusetts for 16 years ending in 2001. They counted 61 forgotten pieces of surgical equipment in 54 patients. From that, they calculated a national estimate of 1,500 cases yearly. A total of $3 million was paid out in the Massachusetts cases, mostly in settlements.


Two-thirds of the mistakes happened even though the equipment was counted before and after the procedure, in keeping with the standard practice.


Most lost objects were sponges, but also included were metal clamps and electrodes. In two cases, 11-inch retractors — metal strips used to hold back tissue — were forgotten inside patients. In another operation, four sponges were left inside someone.


The lost objects were usually lodged around the abdomen or hips but sometimes in the chest or other cavities. They often caused tears, obstructions or infections. One patient died of complications, but the researchers withheld details for reasons of privacy.


Most patients needed additional surgery to remove the object, but sometimes it came out by itself or in a doctor's office. In other cases, patients were not even aware of the object, and it turned up in later surgery for other problems.


The study found that emergency operations are nine times more likely to lead to such mistakes, and operating-room complications requiring a change in procedure are four times more likely. A rise of one point in body-mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, raises the chances of such a mistake by 10 percent.


The length of the operation or the hour of day does not appear to make a difference, suggesting that fatigue does not cause such mistakes.


"It tends to be in unpredictable situations," said lead author Dr. Atul Gawande of Brigham and Women's Hospital.


Some other researchers said fatigue could promote such mistakes in a way undetected by this study.


The Boston research team suggested that more X-ray checks be done right after those operations where such errors are most likely. Metal instruments and radiologically tagged sponges show up in such checks.


Eventually, wands similar to supermarket bar-code readers might be developed to detect missing equipment, researchers said.


Dr. Sidney Wolfe, health research director of the public-interest lobby group Public Citizen, said the real number of lost instruments may be even higher, because hospitals are not required to report such mistakes to public agencies. He said they should be.


However, some others said such mistakes are so rare — occurring about 50 times in 1 million operations — that figuring out how to prevent them could be difficult.

"Something has to be done about this. It's just a very tough balance to decide. Do we really want to add this hoop for every patient to jump through?" said Dr. Kaveh Shojania, author of a 2001 federal study on medical mistakes.

Lori Bartholomew, research director at the Physician Insurers Association of America, said: "I find it's going to be difficult to make much more improvement, because some of the risk factors are things that are hard to control." The Rockville, Md., group represents medical malpractice insurers.



[This message has been edited by on-susan's-floor (edited January 16, 2003).]

[notsocooldude]

on-susan's-floor. Reading your post makes me grateful that I have avoided hospitals for a very long time. I have fractured a scaphoid, in my youth, and at a later date I required a meniscectomy, 2 totally unrelated injuries. Both, thankfully, some distance from major organs.

We had a very sad case here in Britain quite recently. A gentleman was admitted to hospital for a kidney transplant. Sadly the surgeon removed the healthy kidney. Having said that and reading your post, has not shaken my admiration for the medical profession. I am eternally thankful that people are prepared to enter the profession, otherwise where would we be?

[SomewhereupinMichigan]

"It also happens more often to fat patients, simply because there is more room inside them to lose equipment, according to the study."

-- As if I needed further inspiration to trim the ol' "waste"line!

[notsocooldude]

SomewhereupinMichigan, You are taking a great risk. Using the word 'fat' in this PC world we all inhabit. Shame on you. LOL