Surgery Triggered Woman’s Death Family’s Suit Says
- Publication: The Morning Call
- Date: May 1994
- By: Susan Todd
The family of a 30-year-old Allentown woman, who believed surgery would end a yearlong bout of heartburn, filed a lawsuit yesterday alleging an Allentown Osteopathic Medical Center surgeon performed an unnecessary and incompetent operation that led to her death.
Marilu Santiago, an unemployed, single mother who lived on N. 6th Street with her young daughter, was diagnosed by Dr. Rafic Amro of Bethlehem as having an inflamed esophagus in January. The doctor later advised Santiago to undergo a nissen fundoplication – an operation involving the mobilization of the lower esophagus and the stomach – to cure her condition, according to the lawsuit.
Santiago’s death was caused by “a surgical misadventure,” according to the lawsuit.
The suit, filed in Northampton County Court on behalf of Santiago’s daughter; her mother, Juana Rivera, and Ulises Rivera, her brother, alleges that the surgery triggered a number of medical problems, including septic shock and multi-organ failure caused by infection.
In the suit, Todd Miller, an Allentown lawyer representing Santiago’s family, maintains Amro did not perform tests, did not prescribe medicines and did not refer the woman to a gastroenterologist or other specialist before doing surgery.
Dr. Saeed Bazel, who assisted Amro during Santiago’s surgery, and Allentown Osteopathic Medical Center are also named in the lawsuit.
Bazel is being sued for negligent and carless conduct. The hospital is charged with failing to provide adequate medical care, failing to monitor the qualifications and competence of all its doctors and permitting unskilled doctors to operate on Santiago.
Miller noted in the suit that Amro, who studied medicine for seven years in Syria, was not recommended to continue after the first year of a four-year residency program at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital in Michigan. Amro was denied staff privileges at St. Luke’s Hospital, where he also served part of his residency.
Miller said he obtained information about Amro’s background from records filed in court after Amro sued St. Luke’s Hospital for denying him staff privileges.
“Had they investigated his background, I find it hard to believe that they would have given him privileges,” Miller said.
Amro would not comment yesterday on the suit.
Evon L. Midei, a senior vice president at the hospital, said he could not comment on the suit. In response to questions, Midei said Amro’s status is under review.
He would not elaborate.
Midei, who was reached at home after the suit was filed yesterday afternoon, said Amro has worked at the hospital longer than two years. He did not have information about whether the hospital knew of the doctor’s background when he received staff privileges at Osteopathic.
According to the suit, Amro performed surgery on the woman on Jan. 14 at Allentown Osteopathic. Santiago suffered a medical emergency the following day and had to be revived with cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 16, the suit states, Santiago stopped breathing again and could not be revived by hospital staff. She died at 12:45 a.m., according to the suit and her death certificate.
The death certificate attributes Santiago’s death to respiratory failure due to lung collapse. The certificate notes that an autopsy was not performed.
As a result of Amro’s surgery, the suit states, blood was prevented from reaching Santiago’s internal organs, causing gangrenous necrosis or infection.
Amro, the suit alleges, “failed to recognize the septic shock caused by his own malpractice and failed to give (Santiago) proper treatment for medical problems” she was suffering after the operation.
