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Thomas Shaknovsky botched the surgery of William Bryan, 70, who died on the operating table
According to Shaknovksy’s deposition, after removing Bryan’s liver, the surgeon instructed a nurse to label the organ as a “spleen” – and he also identified it as a spleen in Bryan’s postoperative notes. Shaknovsky later said he had been “mentally compromised” at the time of Bryan’s death, explaining that he was “devastated, demoralized, crying over his passing, felt that I failed him”.
... comparing this surgeon's patient survival rate to that of other surgeons should determine whether he is to blame.
If his patients are significantly more likely to die than on average, it is probably the surgeon's fault. If he has a pristine record, on the other hand, it was probably beyond his control.
That would go poorly if he tends to operate on riskier patients. Would definitely have to compare with other surgeons that have a similar patient risk.
Absolutely. A good study would account for confounding variables. Even the best surgeons make mistakes that lead to death; they are only human.
...society doesn't want to create a situation where surgeons refuse to operate for fear of making a mistake.