Removal of Cancerous Tumor from Kidney on Twitter

On February 9th, doctors at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan used the social-networking site Twitter to provide readers with real-time updates of a tumor being removed from a patient’s kidney. This was the second time a procedure has been “Twittered”, with the first being the varicose vein removal of Robert Hendrick, who “tweeted” his very own surgery just a few months ago. Hendrick is a colleague of the lead surgeon involved in the most recent “Twittered” surgery, Dr. Craig Rogers, who hopes that this new technology will help patients learn more about surgeries placed on Twitter and erase some of the fears and uncertainties by being able to follow what actually takes place. For this particular surgery, Rogers wanted to make Twitter users aware that a tumor could be successfully removed from a kidney, without having to remove the entire kidney. People following the surgery and reading the updates of doctors in the operating room could ask questions and make comments about on the real-time updates. In fact, Twitter users even got to follow along when Dr. Rogers realized that the tumor was much larger than expected, forcing him to make the decision to remove part of the kidney. Dr. Raj Laungani posted updates on Twitter describing the problem Rogers had uncovered and how he was going to proceed with the surgery.

Twitter users following this tumor removal surgery were also able to view video of the surgery on Twitter. Dr. Rogers and others involved in the surgery are sure that more “Twittered” procedures will follow, allowing people to learn what actually happens during surgery. Of course, patients must consent before their doctors can use a procedure for a site such as Twitter. Mistakes during surgery are always a possibility, whether or not the procedure is being broadcast to an audience or not. If you or a loved one was injured by surgical malpractice in New York City or Long Island, please call or e-mail us today for a free consultation with our experienced surgical malpractice attorneys. Our firm serves clients with Bronx surgical malpractice, Brooklyn surgical malpractice, Queens surgical malpractice, Nassau surgical malpractice and Suffolk surgical malpractice cases.

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