Stomach-Staplings Halted After Death
From Times Wire Reports
Brigham and Women’s Hospital has stopped performing a type of stomach-stapling surgery after a staple gun apparently misfired during an operation and the patient died, officials said.
Chief medical officer Andy Whittemore said the hospital is reviewing all factors that may have contributed to the death of Ann Marie Simonelli, including the staple gun.
Simonelli, 38, died at the hospital Oct. 23, after trying to combat obesity by having her stomach stapled in a laparoscopic procedure, which involves a small incision and a scope that lets the surgeon look inside.
The procedure differs from open gastric bypass, which requires a large incision.
