A surgeon halts surgery to donate blood

Amazing story:

A top New York heart surgeon who was doing a mercy-mission operation on an 8-year-old boy in El Salvador had to scrub out in the middle of the procedure so he could donate his own rare-type blood to the patient.
Dr. Samuel Weinstein said he had his blood drawn, ate a Pop-Tart, returned to the operating table and watched as his blood helped the boy survive the complex surgery.

Comments

ipanema
An act worth emulating. We need more of his kind.
Anonymous
I’m sure there will be a lawsuit filed against this doctor for delaying the surgery.
Anonymous
I’m sure you are still just as immature as the last time you posted here.
Anonymous
There are plenty of his kind here in the US. Wonder why we don’t do this sort of thing much in say, Appalachia? Three guesses; and the first two don’t count.
Anonymous
liability, liability, liability
Anonymous
Because physicians wouldn’t get paid any extra for doing it?
Anonymous
The difference is that the kind of physician he is gets profiled on National news, while some of you, with your Anal Retentiveness can only blab about how you hate patients on someone elses BLOG.
Anonymous
It is always assumed that medical missions from the developed country help these people in the remote villages of a 3rd world country. It is assumed that some medical care is better than none.
I would like to see a study that shows that these missions actually have a significant positive impact on these villages.
Imagine this scenario. Specialists and nurses come to small town, USA, 100 miles from a hospital. They stay for 10 days, operate on a 100 people, give meds and leave. Then what? Who takes care of the complications?
At my church, these medical mission people talk about the good things they have done those 2 weeks. Well, what about the complications, the morbidity and mortality? What about follow up care? What about accountability for the injury?
Anonymous
Great that sounds like a cool new market for trial lawyers!!!
you guys can go play gotcha games with the medical missionaries. Its a great way to make more money.
Because thats all this is about. Dont sit there and wrap it up in some BS about how you want to “protect” the foreigners from the big bad evil doctors.
For the record, the stuff they do over there is very simple. They arent giving heart/lung double transplants, they are distributing primaquine to fight malaria, or they are giving penicillin to prevent syphilis-induced aortic aneurysms.
Medical missionaries go after the “heavy hitter” diseases like malaria for which there are proven treatments and mortality benefits.
But by all means, go sue their asses off. But dont piss on me and tell me its raining by telling me you are the “advocate” for the native peoples. Nobody buys that BS.
Anonymous
Stick to the topic, your minds are going somewhere, so says about suing? You don’t know how to read? Just jealous you are not in the news. Most of your kind will never be in the news. You can not even write your name after your comment, hiding always.
Anonymous
“I would like to see a study that shows that these missions actually have a significant positive impact on these villages.”
Sorry, I know I’m going to sound stupid and naive, but isn’t part of the objective with these missions for the students and nurses they take along to get some experience working in different conditions, without the bureaucracy they encounter in America?
A doctor here in central Illinois takes a team out twice a year, every year, using their vacation time to do it…and they do revisit the same countries to follow up. They also give seminars in hopes of training the local doctors to handle the same procedures and any complications.
I don’t know…seems like a good and decent thing to me.
Anonymous
Listen up Anonymous 4:40 PM, there are plenty of us who do this work, and we do it for nothing. Furthernmore it actually COSTS us money and time (the same thing) to do it. Just because each and everyone of us isn’t written up like this particular surgeon doesn’t mean it isn’t going on. But it’s convenient for jealous individuals like YOU to pretend otherwise.
Anonymous
Yeah right 7:52, with COSTS in capitals, seems like you’re not working from your heart. Counting your money eh? Not counting how many people you’ve helped?
Abel PharmBoy
Dr Kevin, thanks for the good news. I know hundreds of docs who would do the same.
Anonymous
Great doctor !
You know what’s sad ? There are many US kids, with no insurance, who desperately need medical care. You don’t need to cross the border to save the world. But heroic things do not happen in the US anymore. And when they do, they end up in a lawsuit. Lawyers have screwed-up this country.
NoAcuteDistress
Anon 7:42 You accuse us of not signing off on with our own webnames. How about YOU??
You accuse us of not having helped many people. How about YOU??
You throw gratuitous accusations of jealousy as a smokescreen for very real concerns about frivolous malpractice claims resulting from doing pro bono work here in the states. Please tell us how YOU put your ass on the line to help your fellow human beings.
Anonymous
NAD,
I am not anon your talking to, but any doctor who works in an emergency room or takes panel call to back up the emergency room at virtually ANY HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY is providing free, charity, “pro bono”, or whatever you want to call it daily. In most cases there is absolutely no reimbursement from any hsopital or government entitity for services provided, yet these doctors are exposing themselves to the liability risk of emergency cases that often end in bad outcomes.
Minutemen RN
Heck, you don’t even have to leave the country to provide charitable care to other Nationals. Our border is so porous that women 9 months pregnant, people with completed strokes, brain tumors, advanced cancers, femur fractures can somehow manage to present at my hospital 100 miles inland.
The expectation is that you treated me for free, so continue to treat me for free, sign me up for medicaid, food stamps, welfare, disability, let the rest of my familia come over, let my kids go to public school until they drop out, and give me amnestia.
If you are not outraged then you are not paying attention.
Anonymous
The World Health Organization should monitor the activites of these medical missions. They should see to it that a certain standard is followed. Those who donate to these missions should be able to look at the data as to how many have been hurt, or killed by these missions. If a 17 y.o. with Down’s dies after tonsillectomy in the USA, this sort of thing can happen with these medical missions. Let’s have some data. Let’s not assume that this is a great idea just because it’s free health care.
Anonymous
Yeah, lets sue those charitable bastards who want to travel around and try to help people.
Showing a lawyers true colors.
Anonymous
Medical missions: Why local doctors don’t like them?
They allege that they are getting the doctor’s patients. So, this doctor is deprived of an income for that period. C’mmon, let’s be honest, this is the truth! Not because of complications, hardly. It’s MONEY lost!
That’s why they hate foreign missions. Some third world countries even want the government to BAN them. Well, if they can provide free medical consultation, medicine, etc., let them do it themselves.
Those who are doing these medical missions are DOCTORS as well, backed up by charitable institutions. And it’s local DOCTORS who don’t like them. It’s DOCTORS vs DOCTORS?
*Note: Third World scenario.
Anonymous
I’m the Anon you have to talk to NoAccuteDistress. Very nice handle, so no DISTRESS at all if you are doing good to your fellowmen ok?
As for me, I love to read doctors who rant about malpractice because I can see what’s bothering them. I can only imagine what they think when treating their patients.
By the way, stay Anonymous, maybe your patients are reading you.
diora
There are many US kids, with no insurance, who desperately need medical care. You don’t need to cross the border to save the world. But heroic things do not happen in the US anymore.
Are you sure they don’t? Just the other day I was walking in the center of our small town and saw a sign on a building saying that it is a free clinic. This is here in the US and in expensive suburbs, but we have some some low income population (who’d have very little money left given local prices) and a small hispanic community, some of them illegal judging by a number of people near train station looking for day jobs. Illegal nannies/cleaning ladies as well. How would they stuff this clinic if doctors weren’t donating their time?
If a 17 y.o. with Down’s dies after tonsillectomy in the USA, this sort of thing can happen with these medical missions.
What planet are you on? Do you know how many kids die in Africa and other third world countries from preventable and easily treatable deseases? Do you seriously believe they would have resources to do a tonsillectomy on a kid with Down there? With anesthesia and post-op pain control? Here is a thought. Take a trip to some poor villages in Africa, India, etc. and see for yourself.
Anonymous
What a great story!
Anonymous
Impressive. I’m also impressed that some doctors/nurses/staff in my town who aren’t allowed to accept uninsured and new Medicaid patients also donate their time/services to the only local health care facility that does…a facility that’s so overburdened, they stopped even bothering to keep a waiting list. Those folks are also heroes in my book. Thanks to all health care professionals who work hard to provide basic care to everybody who needs it, wherever they are.
castillo
Hi, I’m from Honduras, I’m a med student, I was reading all the comments, I don’t know why you make a controversy, this surgeon saved the life of his patient, I know that some of you can’t just imagine our reality, all the help is welcome, I don’t understand why you attack one each other, and anyway it doesn’t matter where yo do it, just do it right.
Anonymous
So who clean up the mess after these surgeons leave? The local surgeons.
Anonymous
you can tell your government to BAN all medical missions. i know you have your own, so why not make it bigger and often since there are more people who needs it. that is if you have a big heart, more time and ready to empty your pockets. your apathy is quite understable. who wants to lose income? why can’t you appreciate that somebody is helping the people. you dont like that do you?
Anonymous
I don’t understand why physicians are such a jealous bunch of people. Why can’t you just be happy for what this guy did? Instead you dissect it like a bunch of first quarter anatomy students with your cat on the table.
You always find something to complain about no matter what anyone has done, even one of your own.
Anonymous
“You always find something to complain about no matter what anyone has done, even one of your own.”
I just read through the comments and I really didn’t see anyone claiming to be a physician putting this doctor down. there was the comment that sometimes these missions are not welcomed by the LOCAL doctors.
But it is a great story. My brother inlaw is a surgeon who after three years of practice in the AIR Force has been working as a surgeon missionary in Africa and Guam and is contemplating Afghanistan. I know he has not thought of himself one iota since medical school and has not saved a dime for his own retirement.
Anonymous
“You throw gratuitous accusations of jealousy as a smokescreen for very real concerns about frivolous malpractice claims resulting from doing pro bono work here in the states.”
What amount, either by percentage or total number, of pro bono cases in the US have resulted in a frivolous malpractice claim?
Anonymous
“What amount, either by percentage or total number, of pro bono cases in the US have resulted in a frivolous malpractice claim?”
Don’t know. In my ER 30% of people don’t pay so it is essentially charity work. If numbers hold up then the same amount 30% would file frivolous cases. Some would argue this group of people is more litiginous, but I suspect they are less litiginous because of limited education, resources, etc. I have been sued 5 times in the last 4 years of practice (all frivolous). One case was from what would be considered a charity case (no insurance, no pay, illegal immigrant).
In my group over the years there has been a couple of lawsuits where the doctor treated a nurse or other hospital worker “as a favor”. As the saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished”
castillo
To 5:38 pm I didn’t say that I don’t appreciate all these medical missions, why you react like that, I’m sure that all the people that you help are thankful, and who wants to ban the missions? can you explain me where did you hear that? all the persons that do these kind of missions, is because they really want to do it, I can’t find another explanation, and can you stop of talking about your money? ok you spend it but if becouse you choose it, I just wanted to say that this surgeon did a good thing, but it looks that nobody could see it.
Anonymous
Read through properly Anon 6:26, that’s what Anon 4:40 said.
Read Anon 7:55′s comment, where malpractice came into.
Anonymous
Castillo : that comment is for Anon 3:45 not you. Im following the thread. Sorry you got mixed up.
Anonymous
“Don’t know.”
So then how do you make the claim about “real concerns” if you have no idea whether the concerns are warranted?
“In my ER 30% of people don’t pay so it is essentially charity work.”
Do you still get paid the same? If so, then that’s not charity work on YOUR part, that charity work on the hospital’s part. Some of which it may agree to do in exchange for agreements limiting competition.
“Some would argue this group of people is more litiginous, but I suspect they are less litiginous because of limited education, resources, etc.”
I’ve never seen any stats on who is or is not more likely to be litigious. That would be an interesting study.
“In my group over the years there has been a couple of lawsuits where the doctor treated a nurse or other hospital worker “as a favor”.”
If you do something as a favor, is the recipient agreeing to substandard care?
castillo
oooops… sorry, at least I could say what I think.
Anonymous
“Do you still get paid the same?”
Does a gas station get paid for a drive-off or a restaurant for an eat and run?
“If you do something as a favor, is the recipient agreeing to substandard care?”
They are asking for care without a co-pay, without the inconvenience or making an appointment, often without a thorough exam because of embarrassment. They are imposing to get “the favor” and often don’t follow up. Now the answer is easy, we just say NO and tell them to register and sign in like any other patient. Incidently these “favors” wouldn’t be covered under our malpractice policy because they really weren’t patients —- because it was a favor.
Anonymous
“Does a gas station get paid for a drive-off or a restaurant for an eat and run?”
Does a gas station get the opportunity to be on salary or a fixed fee contract? Think about it.
“They are asking for care without a co-pay, without the inconvenience or making an appointment, often without a thorough exam because of embarrassment. They are imposing to get “the favor” and often don’t follow up.”
So does that mean they can expect substandard care? On the one hand, you’re lecturing about the charity work, and on the other, you’re saying the lack of a copay means that no one can expect you to perform well if they don’t pay.
Anonymous
“Does a gas station get the opportunity to be on salary or a fixed fee contract? Think about it.”
very few physicians in the community or on salary or fixed fee contract. really, its true. think about it. are you CJD? we have been telling you this for a long time.
“So does that mean they can expect substandard care?”
the care was not substandard. that is your assumption. they did not disclose important information, nor did they follow up as told.
Anonymous
“very few physicians in the community or on salary or fixed fee contract. really, its true. think about it. are you CJD? we have been telling you this for a long time.”
How do you get paid? For example, the typical ER doc in a hospital – how does he/she get paid?
“the care was not substandard. that is your assumption. they did not disclose important information, nor did they follow up as told.”
I assumed nothing. You kept throwing up all these justifications for the care they received. I was simply wondering if the care was substandard. You implied that because they didn’t pay, didn’t have an appointment, etc. that they were to take whatever they got and like it.
Anonymous
“How do you get paid? For example, the typical ER doc in a hospital – how does he/she get paid?”
1. provide the service
2. submit a bill
3. wait to collect
4. actually collect about 30%

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