A physican where I work called a patient a "FAT PIG!"

allnurses Guide · Sep 11, 2009

I can't believe some people are defending the surgeon or deciding it's the family's fault.

If my mum was scheduled for, say, a 2 hr procedure, and was still in the OR 5 hours later and noone told me why, I'd be pretty ****** too. Maybe they were frustrated by a lack of communication... who knows?

In any case, NO MATTER WHAT, it's NEVER acceptable to call a patient a "fat pig". Or a pig, if you want to disregard the weight part. Esp if the patient isn't even conscious to defend themselves. He sounds like a spoilt little brat who was annoyed the family didn't fall at his feet to worship.

ayla2004, ASN, RN · Sep 11, 2009

Ok i see two diffent thing occuring in thei event.

1 the doctor who schelude this pt at the end of the list, perhaps as he knew that she would not be an easy case and to prevent orther surgerys being delayed, was tired. Perhaps he felt the delay due to her size was somthing she could have controlled. I do understand were he may be coming from due to her increased size cauing surgery to take longer but he was unprofossional in approach. a though outline of propsed event disscuessed during pre-op shoiuld include the likelyhood of delays as well as postop pain and ponv.

However you have a concerned familly knwoing people can die during surgery knowing i hope that increased weight increase risk etc and they have beeen wainting for there loved one and it taqking longer=probelms occuring.

scared people do not always react well they perhaps wanted to know if somting went wrong.

one of things i always say to pt/famillies pre surgery as the ward nuse is that no one can tell how long a procedure will be and i say this to relatives and they seem to undertand if the take longer it takes longer.

mige · Sep 11, 2009

Whomever asked why a GI doc was performing an abdo surgery....
GI = gastrointestinal. Your intestines (large and small) and a variety of other accessory organs to the GI system such as the liver, spleen, appendix, gallbladder and stomach are all in the abdominal region. Why WOULDN'T a GI doc be performing an abdo surgery?

I was the person that asked, and the reason why is that GI docs are Internal Medicine specialist NOT surgical doctors, therefore they cannot perform any type of surgical procedure. The closest to a surgical procedure a GI doc can do is an ERCP.

pca_85 · Sep 11, 2009

Ohhhhhh he's lucky I wasn't a family member!

mige · Sep 11, 2009

we dont know the entire story. we know the family mas mad/angry but we dont know what they told the doctor. Might have been something not offensive to the doctor but it could have been. We saw the second punch of the fight, people always miss the first!!

but again, you shouldnt be saying that to people

RNgirlie · Sep 11, 2009

not shocked at all. this is the state of docs unfortunately. you find a few good ones but you always can also find the rotten ones.

firstaiddave908 · Sep 11, 2009

wow im surprised that a doctor would come out and say that in stead of saying the surgery took longer than expected.

Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 11, 2009

How did the conversation actually play out between the physician and the family? Surely it wasn't that he met with the family and laid it on the line right then and there about her being a fat pig. I would think he had to have been provoked at least some to come out with that.

Blackheartednurse · Sep 11, 2009

:hhmth:

Blackheartednurse · Sep 11, 2009

I can't believe some people are defending the surgeon or deciding it's the family's fault.
If my mum was scheduled for, say, a 2 hr procedure, and was still in the OR 5 hours later and noone told me why, I'd be pretty ****** too. Maybe they were frustrated by a lack of communication... who knows?
In any case, NO MATTER WHAT, it's NEVER acceptable to call a patient a "fat pig". Or a pig, if you want to disregard the weight part. Esp if the patient isn't even conscious to defend themselves. He sounds like a spoilt little brat who was annoyed the family didn't fall at his feet to worship.

Excuse me?? If I was that pt daughter the last thing on my mind would be go off on the patient...My first words would be in crying or anxious maybe even begging voice "doc is everything ok with my mom.The family member got what he deserved plus the pt didnt hear it anyway. :twocents:

Moogie · Sep 11, 2009

A GI doc on my floor had to do abdominal surgery on a very fat woman. As you know, these surgeries take longer. It was his last case and he was very tired by the time it was completed. The family was very angry that the surgery took so long. Anyway, after the patient was placed into her room, her family joined her. The MD walked in the room to check on her and as soon as he walked in her husband said angrily "What took you so long!?" The physician responded back with "She's a fat pig, what did you expect?" and walked out of the room. He got a phone call from administration as he was driving home and was told he had to go back to the hospital and apologize. And that was it. No other consequences.
A nurse would be terminated on the spot if he or she did something like that. It's not fair.

The surgeon should be reported to the state medical board. It is inexcusable to insult a patient, no matter how stressed one is. And it is inexcusable to insult a patient no matter what he/she might have done to exacerbate the condition for which he/she is seeking medical care.

petunia2016 · Sep 11, 2009

Excuse me?? If I was that pt daughter the last thing on my mind would be go off on the patient...My first words would be in crying or anxious maybe even begging voice "doc is everything ok with my mom.The family member got what he deserved plus the pt didnt hear it anyway.

If you read the original post, the lady was already back with her family. So of course they weren't anxious anymore.