# Man dies from "splenectomy" where they removed his LIVER instead! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 6, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842 "2024-09-06T02:06:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/21 "2024-09-06T13:25:14Z")
I looked for the reviews, to see if anyone has written anything particularly witty, but it’s too soon. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/22 "2024-09-06T13:40:38Z")
It doesn’t really. DOs have slightly different academic training from MDs but further training and licensing is similar ( in fact , many states have a single licensing board for DO and MD). But a “doctor of osteopathic medicine” in the US is _not_ the same as an “osteopath” in some other countries , which is a type of alternative medicine. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/23 "2024-09-06T13:54:46Z")
They inflate the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide to give themselves some working room, so the camera isn’t just slithering around, it’s hovering over the organs before they start cutting into anything. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I don’t think anyone is removing a liver through a ⅛ inch hole. Not even through a few tiny holes. You’d be surprised - take a look at this video (about 1 minute in), if you dare: > **[Basic Laparoscopic Surgery](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPyZRkkxqNs%2F)** > > Learn Basic Laparoscopic Surgery, the components of a laparoscopic surgical setup, optimal positioning and ergonomics in laparoscopic surgery, and much more.... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/24 "2024-09-06T14:04:19Z")
Thank you for the explanation. BTW, note that all of the stories about this case are based on the press release from the plaintiff’s attorney. Neither the doctor nor the hospital is saying anything, which is wise, of course. But in the end, the story may be more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/25 "2024-09-06T15:07:33Z")
That was very cool, but you didn’t see them pull out anything as large and solid as a liver through that little hole. I guess if you sliced the liver into little bits you could do it? But that seems like a risky technique, on several levels. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/26 "2024-09-06T15:09:19Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > But a “doctor of osteopathic medicine” in the US is _not_ the same as an “osteopath” in some other countries , which is a type of alternative medicine. :aside: I’ve occasionally dealt with legitimate doctors (i.e.: practitioners of the former) getting lost and ending up on the Wikipedia article for the latter, cleaning up the mess they make when they change the article as if it is for the former. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/27 "2024-09-06T15:16:37Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > But was this doc totally alone in the O.R. ? Wasn’t there _anyone_ else there to say, “uhhh, Tom? Hold up a second.” or something similar? The article says the other people who were in the operating room are also named in the lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/28 "2024-09-06T15:23:36Z")
I bet! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/29 "2024-09-06T15:27:24Z")
There are terms for the person graduating first or second in their class (Valedictorian & Salutatorian). In medical school there is a term for the person graduating _last_ in their class (Doctor). My son-in-law told me he had classmates who he would happily refer friends or relatives to as well as several classmates he wouldn’t refer his worst enemy to. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/30 "2024-09-06T15:34:39Z")
My understanding, which could be flawed, is that the liver was indeed morcellated (fragmented) as it was being removed. Wonder how the pathologist who received the liver specimen managed to diplomatically frame the diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/31 "2024-09-06T15:35:26Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ve2iAxzXFPE/mqdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ve2iAxzXFPE/mqdefault.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/32 "2024-09-06T15:41:55Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Wonder how the pathologist who received the liver specimen managed to diplomatically frame the diagnosis. Specimen designated “spleen”, resection: Fragments of benign hepatic parenchyma; see comment. Comment: No splenic tissue is identified in the specimen on multiple sections, suggesting that the findings are not representative. Clinical correlation is recommended. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/33 "2024-09-06T16:05:54Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > They inflate the abdominal cavity with carbon dioxide to give themselves some working room, so the camera isn’t just slithering around, it’s hovering over the organs before they start cutting into anything. Thank you. BTW, I just noticed your custom title / motto. Great one! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/34 "2024-09-06T16:10:55Z")
> [@Pazu](#): > > No splenic tissue is identified in the specimen on multiple sections “'e’s got no spleen in 'is spleen!” ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/35 "2024-09-06T16:19:05Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > “'e’s got no spleen in 'is spleen!” That part would be reserved for the baffled phone call with the surgeon. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/36 "2024-09-06T16:19:19Z")
When surgeons amputate limbs, it’s common for them to clearly mark the “correct” and “wrong” limbs with just a marker. They often have the patient do it themselves, even. You can’t write “wrong organ” on your liver. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/37 "2024-09-06T16:24:34Z")
But it’s also easy to imagine how a surgeon could remove the wrong limb. It’s frankly really hard to imagine how a surgeon could confuse a liver with a spleen. I’ve dissected mammals. The organs… look different and are in different places. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/38 "2024-09-06T16:24:41Z")
Bad news: we amputated the wrong leg. Good news: the other leg is getting better! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/39 "2024-09-06T16:28:26Z")
When all’s said and done, we’ll probably find out that it was some sort of clerical error - the patient was wheeled into the wrong operating room, some form was filled out wrong, or something like that. Not that that makes it any better, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842/40 "2024-09-06T16:36:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve dissected mammals. The organs… look different and are in different places. Also, their vasculature is markedly different. The surgeon lighted vessels that should have been recognizable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-dies-from-splenectomy-where-they-removed-his-liver-instead/1006842.md?page=3)