The Los Angeles Times reports that photos taken by a nurse’s aide of an unconscious patient after her anesthesiologist decorated her face with stickers, have led to a civil lawsuit and state investigation of Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The anesthesiologist, Dr. Patrick Yang, kept his hospital privileges but was disciplined, as were other employees involved. The nurse’s aide claimed the image was never posted online or shared publicly. However, in depositions, others have testified to seeing the image on Facebook.
The AP reports that during surgery, Dr. Yang “used stickers to give his patient a black mustache and teardrops under her left eye, and then the nurse’s aide took a picture. The patient, Veronica Valdez, 36, worked at the hospital for 13 years before the surgery on her finger.” The hospital “called the incident a breach of professionalism and said in a statement that it demonstrated poor judgment.”
From the American Association for Justice news release.
