BLOG: Doctor who suffered his own medical tragedy responds to stories

Last month, we chronicled the story of Jerry Magner, a Northern California man who suffered a massive stroke as a result of a surgery that was intended to prevent stroke. Magner’s loved ones, still struggling with their loss, questioned whether the procedure should have been performed in the first place.

Shortly after the stories ran and aired, I received this letter from John Maa, a surgeon and assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco:

Performing surgery upon a blockage in the carotid artery to prevent a stroke is both delicate and difficult. National safety organizations have advocated for patients to undergo the operation in centers of excellence by surgeons who perform the procedure regularly. Variations in the rates of carotid surgery between hospitals are thus not unexpected.

An irony for the surgeon is that a known complication of this operation is causing the same deadly stroke that one seeks to prevent. Further, a decision by a patient to decline surgery can also result in a fatal stroke, leaving a family afterwards to question why they had not been consulted regarding a potentially life-saving procedure.

Informed consent is thus key, but also time-consuming for a surgeon to contact and speak with every possible family member. Perhaps better communication can be facilitated through innovative computer technology and decision aids that share a full understanding of the risks and benefits with interested family members, so that the patient and surgeon are not left alone to make the difficult decision?

It turns out that Maa had his own sad experience with the health care system. Maa’s mother died a little more than three years ago after going to the emergency room complaining of an irregular heartbeat. No inpatient beds were available, so her admission was delayed, and as a result, so were some medical procedures.

Before the procedures were performed, Maa’s mother suffered a massive stroke. The family withdrew life support 112 hours after she walked into the hospital. (Click here to read Maa’s account of his mother’s experience in the New England Journal of Medicine.)

Could the delays have contributed to his mother’s stroke and death? Maybe, maybe not. But Maa has taken her story to Capitol Hill, calling for solutions to crowded emergency rooms. In the process, he has become known as an advocate for using storytelling to push for change in the health care system.