Joan Rivers stops breathing during surgery - rushed to hospital

[MohandasKGanja]

Already conflicting stories on this. Some are saying they did a biopsy without her consent. In my experience, when I had an endoscopy, it was out patient and I signed stating that if there was cause for concern, I consented for them to do more exploratory including a biopsy while they were down there. It seems to be a blanket statement in most consent documents. I still feel she should have been in a hospital due to her age but have read statements from many doctors who say otherwise.

I have a family member who has had two of these, and I'm definitely checking the fine print on the consent forms next time.

[mjw]

CNN) -- The cardiac arrest leading to Joan Rivers' death happened as the comedian's personal doctor began performing a biopsy on her vocal cords, a source close to the death investigation told CNN.

A staff member at Manhattan's Yorkville Endoscopy clinic told investigators that the doctor, who has not been publicly identified, took a selfie photo in the procedure room while Rivers was under anesthesia, the source said.

Rivers, 81, was at the clinic for a scheduled endoscopy by another doctor, gastroenterologist Dr. Lawrence Cohen. That procedure, intended to help diagnose her hoarse voice and sore throat, involved the insertion of a camera down her throat.

After Cohen, the clinic's medical director, finished his work, a biopsy was done on Rivers without her prior consent, according to the source.


An ear, nose and throat specialist not certified by the clinic as required by law performed a biopsy on her vocal cords. The doctor is described by the source as Rivers' personal ear-nose-throat physician.

Clinic: Vocal-cord biopsy did not kill Joan Rivers
"Even though you are a licensed physician, you still should have, if you will, the checks and balances to get your approval to practice in that particular place," said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Investigators believe that Rivers' vocal chords began to swell during the allegedly unauthorized biopsy, cutting off the flow of oxygen to her lungs, which led to cardiac arrest on the morning of August 29, the source said.

Rivers, 81, was rushed by paramedics from Yorkville Endoscopy to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital a mile away, where she died a week later.

Yorkville Endoscopy issued a statement last Thursday denying reports that any vocal cord biopsy has ever been done at the clinic, although federal privacy law prevented any patient information from being released.

The day after the denial was issued, the clinic confirmed that Dr. Cohen "is not currently performing procedures...nor is he currently serving as medical director."

The source said that at this time neither Cohen nor the ear, nose and throat doctor have been accused of wrongdoing by investigators.

The clinic declined to respond to the source's comments about a biopsy or a selfie, citing federal privacy law.

Source: Joan Rivers' doc did biopsy, selfie at clinic - CNN.com

[Sarzy]

^ WTF? That's bizarre.

[Trixie]

Taking a selfie? What do these doctors do, compare the pics at parties? Bragging rights for the most famous patients? Nice.

[rollo]

Hmmm, that's highly unethical surely? What a loser.

[HWBL]

Can you imagine what choice words Joan would use to describe him?

[fgg]

Joan River’s doctor named by major outlets as ENT to the stars

Yesterday we reported the news, from CNN, that Joan River’s personal ENT physician performed the surgery that led to her death. The ENT accompanied Joan to a routine endoscopy appointment at a clinic. While Joan was under anesthesia, the physician, who was not authorized to do surgery at the clinic, did a biopsy of Joan’s vocal cords that Joan had not signed off on. During the impromptu surgery, Joan’s vocal cords began to swell, causing her oxygen to be cut off and prompting the medical crisis which ultimately killed her. CNN also reported that the physician took a selfie while Joan was under, which is despicable enough in itself. (Some outlets interpreted this as the doctor taking a selfie with Joan, although that detail is up to debate. Radar quotes a source who claims that Rivers was in the shot. I will wait until that is confirmed.)

Now multiple outlets have named the ENT physician as Dr. Gwen Korovin, throat doctor to the stars. Korovin has worked on Celine Dion, Hugh Jackman, Adele, John Mayer and Lady Gaga, among many others. Her office is decorated with signed photos of the many famous people she’s worked with, and you can see some of them in the photo above. (From her Facebook.) Korovin appears in Celine Dion’s documentary, Through The Eyes of The World, where she consults with the singer. Even her examining room is filled with photos of celebrities. Here’s more, from The Wrap:

The ear, nose, and throat specialist who performed a procedure on late comedienne Joan Rivers has been revealed as her personal physician, Dr. Gwen Korovin, according to reports.

Pictures posted on Korovin’s Facebook show the New York-based specialist has a slew of celebrity clientele, including Hugh Jackman and Daniel Radcliffe. She’s known as Broadway’s go-to throat specialist helping such stars as Patti Lupone with their singing voices.

According to TMZ, Korovin isn’t authorized to practice medicine at the Yorkville Endoscopy center, where Rivers went Aug. 28 to undergo a scheduled endoscopy by gastroenterologist and the clinic’s medical director Dr. Lawrence Cohen. After that procedure, CNN reports Rivers also underwent an unauthorized vocal cord biopsy performed by her personal doctor.

Korovin’s office said in a statement, “We do not comment on matters related to patients.”

On Sept. 5, the New York Medical Examiner’s Office told TheWrap that the autopsy on Rivers’ body did not determine the cause or manner of death, and that further studies would be conducted to determine exactly how she died.

[From The Wrap]

As the article mentions, Joan’s autopsy was inconclusive, so it’s officially unknown how she died at this point. Korovin has essentially gone into hiding. The NY Daily News reports that “Before the story broke, Korovin fled her E. 77th St. office and could not be reached for comment at her West Village home.” It is expected that Joan’s daughter, Melissa, will file suit against Korovin, against Yorkville Endoscopy, the clinic where her mother was treated, and against Dr. Lawrence Cohen, the doctor who performed her mother’s endoscopy. She’s also thought to be filing complaints with the medical board.

As for whether it’s ok to out the doctor, I think that’s up to debate. This story originated on TMZ and has been picked up by more mainstream sources like The Washington Post. One narrative is that Joan was killed by an arrogant, fame-hungry doctor who performed an unauthorized surgery in a setting unprepared for emergencies. On the other side, this doctor has probably performed this surgery hundreds of times before, perhaps with no adverse events until Joan’s death. She probably has so many famous clients because she’s an excellent doctor.

Maybe Joan brought Korovin with her to perform surgery if necessary, and maybe she gave verbal, if not written consent, for additional surgery. We don’t know what happened, but the alleged facts are damning enough. There are protocols in place for a reason. They were flouted and a lady died. This isn’t a Conrad Murray type situation, this is a very sad single incident. I looked up Korovin’s record and there were no malpractice citations or disciplinary actions against her in NY that I could find.

Korovin appears in Celine Dion’s documentary, Through The Eyes of The World. Her appearance is at about 13:00 in the video below.

Cele|bitchy | Joan River’s doctor named by major outlets as ENT to the stars

pics & video at the link.

[fgg]

Joan Rivers Reportedly Leaves $150 Million Estate to Daughter, Grandson, and Dogs

The New York Daily News reports that the Fashion Police co-host was worth an estimated $150 million at the time of her death earlier this month and, as expected, the bulk of that will go to her only daughter, Melissa, and beloved grandson, Cooper. However, in her will, she also provided for her four dogs, which will move from Joan's opulent Upper East Side Manhattan condo to the home of one of her personal assistants, Jocelyn Pickett. (A spokesperson for Rivers has not yet responded to Yahoo's request for comment on the will.)

"Those dogs are her family," a source told the paper of the animals, which visited Joan in the hospital during her final days. That's an understatement. Rivers actually credited one of her pets, a Yorkie named Spike, for saving her life when she contemplated suicide in 1988, months after her husband, Edgar Rosenberg, took his life. "What saved me was my dog jumped into my lap. I thought, 'No one will take care of him,'" she told the Daily Beast in July. "It wasn't a friendly dog — only to me. I adored this dog. … I had the gun in my lap, and the dog sat on the gun."

In the same interview, Joan said she "constantly" thought about her own death and noted that she had plans in place, including for her cherished canines.

"In your 80s, you'd be foolish not to think about that," she told the website. "I've left money so the dogs can be taken care of. I've said to Melissa, 'Sell anything and everything you don't want. Don't feel beholden to my possessions.' I feel almost hysterical on that. I don't want them to have a sense of guilt."

According to the New York Daily News, Melissa, who is based on the West Coast, already has plans to sell Joan's palatial $35 million condo. That's no surprise as Joan herself put it on the market several times since 2005 — mostly recently in 2012.

"This is how Marie Antoinette would have lived if she had money," the funny woman said her 2010 documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, while standing in the 5,200-square-foot multi-level, classically adorned penthouse, which features floor-to-ceiling windows, wood-burning fireplaces, two terraces, a mezzanine overlooking the front parlor, and French-inspired style which was "painstakingly restored by museum-trained artisans," according to its 2009 listing. The movie also featured a scene in which Joan was hosting a dinner party for about 20 in her dining room with three waiters running around serving the guests.

Joan was a fixture in the building and served as president of the condo board. "I'm very much an A personality," she told the New York Times in 2012. "I got involved just because I wanted things done right." As for why she became president, she said, "I care about the building. And I think that's why they just keep letting me be president of the board." Also, she quipped, "No one wants the job."

The New York Daily News reports that Melissa had her own apartment in the building, purchased by her mom, and also plans to sell that. "Melissa is based in L.A. and has no need for a place in New York any more," a source told the newspaper. "It's also too painful; Joan loved the city so much."

While the article notes that Melissa is also selling Joan's "amazing home in Connecticut," the 5,730-square-foot house in Litchfield County, Connecticut, actually sold last year for $4.4 million. That home was described as her "sanctuary from show business" and was set on 75 acres and featured 10 rooms, four fireplaces, and a custom swimming pool.

Despite it being her sanctuary from showbiz, Joan wasn't ready to give up her career. (Around her 80th birthday, an interviewer asked if she was ready to retire and she quipped, "And do what?") In addition to Fashion Police, the blonde appeared on WEtv's Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, and reportedly had a new show in the works with Bravo's Andy Cohen. She continued to do stand-up as well.

On Tuesday, Melissa spoke out for the first time since her mother's passing.

"As my son Cooper and I mourn the loss of my mother, we want to thank everyone for the beautiful cards and flowers conveying heartfelt messages and condolences, which continue to arrive from around the world and through social media," she wrote on WhoSay. "My mother would have been overwhelmed by the scope and depth of the love that people have expressed for her. It is certainly helping to lift our spirits during this time."

Melissa continued, "We are forever grateful for your kindness and support in continuing to honor my mother's legacy, and for remembering the joy and laughter that she brought to so many."

On Friday, E!, which was home to Fashion Police, will hold "Joan Day" in which they'll have a 12-hour marathon of Rivers's jokes about bad celebrity fashion. The last episode of the show that she taped will be rebroadcast, and the marathon will also include Melissa's stories about her mother.

Rivers died on Sept. 4 after being removed from life support. A week earlier, she underwent a routine procedure on her throat at Yorkville Endoscopy in Manhattan. An investigation is being made into her death. So far, the gastroenterologist who performed the procedure has been fired from the clinic. A second physician was present during the surgery without authorization from the clinic. The woman allegedly took a selfie with Rivers during the surgery.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/ce...153022176.html

$4.4M for a 5k sq ft house on 75 acres? sounds like an amazing deal! the picture of melissa & joan at the top of the article at the link - yikes! they definitely used the same eye guy.

[SHELLEE]

Gov. Rick Perry

My Anti-Abortion Law Could Have

Saved Joan Rivers' Life

Texas Governor Rick Perry thinks Joan Rivers might still be alive if his controversial anti-abortion law was in effect in New York.

The law requires clinics to meet hospital-level operating standards. It became law last year, but a judge recently put it on ice.

Perry was speaking at an event Sunday and randomly brought up Rivers … wondering if she would still be alive if Yorkville Endoscopy were subject to the tighter regulations.

We're pretty sure ... Joan would not approve.

Read more: Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Celebrity News | TMZ.com

[OrangeSlice]

Fuck Rick Perry. There are few politicians that I loathe more than him.

[chartreuse]

rick perry is an even more lowdown POS than i had thought. it takes a frigid human to do that.

[Annika]

that's one of the most self serving shitty things i've ever heard someone say. like seriously dude?

[firebrat1229]

There are no words for the fuckery of that comment.

[A*O]

I don't think a witch hunt against her doctors achieves anything apart from blaming someone, anyone, for the death of an elderly lady. Maybe the PS skewed people's perception but she was OLD and old people die, even celebs. Far better to go at the top of her game than as a drooling vegetable in diapers in a care home.

[MohandasKGanja]

It depends. All physicians here are supposed to meet a "standard of care". Whatever medical investigation ensues will determine that, I hope.