Well respected OB/GYN dies from banding complications...

[Tropicana 0]

It's often that someone goes on a flight and catches sepsis. Happens to me all the time. :biggrin:

[gentylwind 1]

She would not get a massive abdominal infection from something on a flight nor from altitude conditions. This is almost without argument due to surgical complications. Anyone in the medical field would tell you the same thing. And there are no contraindications to traveling with the band immediately after surgery. People travel to Mexico to have it placed every single day and fly back much sooner than two to three weeks postop. None of those arguments would make it off a lawyer's desk. It is also likely that her physician will NOT be found liable for anything regarding her death. It happens. You'd be amazed if you saw your world microscopically the risk we all live with all the time. Her immune system was for whatever reason unable to trump this particular bacteria.

It happens. Its a surgery and ALL surgeries come with risk and ALL surgeries have a percentage of patients that end in death. Its rare with Lap-Band. But rare doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. In fact, it means that it does. Should it cause panic? No. Should it be weighed out in making the decision whether to have the surgery? Absolutely. Its taking a conscious risk. So is getting in the car every day to go to work.

My heartfelt sympathy goes to her family, her friends and her patients. She was far too young to die.

[Daisalana 33]

She would not get a massive abdominal infection from something on a flight nor from altitude conditions. This is almost without argument due to surgical complications.

Maybe not, but flying definitely lowers your immune system, so a minor infection that your body would ordinarily fight off could become devastating.

[gentylwind 1]

She in no way acted in irresponsibly by flying to Colorado with her family. It is a fluke bit of rare, unfortunate weirdness. To say she should not have gone on vacation with her family because she MIGHT have an infection and it MIGHT lower her immune system and it MIGHT then cause the infection to get worse which then MIGHT kill her is a reach at best and that is being kind. No normal, sensible, educated, rational, clear-thinking individual would stay home from a family vacation based on the above thinking and no court of law would hold her responsible based on the above thinking. If we all lived our lives around the vague could-be scenarios of risk in this world, we'd never leave our house. The odds of this having happened to her are so slim that there is no way one could argue she acted in detriment to her own health. Unless one were just being critical and mean spirited.

Surgery is a risk. She took that risk, like all of us who had this surgery did. It could have been any one of us. We fell on the good side of statistics. She did not. Its factual. It happens. It is a tragedy, NOT noncompliance, NOT unnecessary risk-taking and NOT negligence toward her own health. To imply otherwise is, frankly, absurd.

[kileyh 1]

If the infection was this bad I am surprised she did not catch it because I would imagine she would have to have a fever with this and that would be the first sign of infection brewing. If you ever have surgery, they tell you if you get a fever to call. I had a c-sections and with one of them I was home maybe 6-12 hours before I started to run a fever. I had to take anti-biotics and my incision opened up (not pretty). It was strep infection and it took my stomach more than 3 months to heal. I could see the band slipping and not knowing but hard to realize how a drastic infection was not picked up.

[dietpeach 0]

I am not sure how this could have been missed, especially since she was a physician herself.

Her whole family was sick at the same time, so she assumed she had what they had. You mentioned there's a lesson to be learned, and I agree. To me the llesson is that doctors make mistakes, even with their own health, so it's all the more reason to be vigilant with any symptoms you might have and not just rely on your doctor to catch everything. Anyway, it's such a sad story - she left behind twins! It's a real tragedy.

Edited December 9, 2008 by dietpeach

[Bamagal 1]

this is very unfortunate,and I am saddened for her family.Strep/Staph infections are very common after surgery.These bacterias can live on the skin causing no symptoms at all but as soon as they find an opening of the skin they can be deadly.The elderly and diabetics are most at risk as their systems are weaker and they have a harder time fighting the infection.Staph has been on the rise for years in hospitals due to the fact they have become resistant to the antibiotics.The best way to keep down the risk is if you have open wounds keep them covered and keep them clean,bath often,wash your hands alot and be sure the kids do too.If you have redness, swelling of the wound area seek help right away.If you get nausea and or diarrhea seek help.

But to assume it was her fault or the doctors fault, or even the lap band is at fault is wrong.No surgery no matter how minor is without risk ever.But I am sure the coroner and the lawyers will find someone to blame.

[greythope 0]

Dr. Parks delivered my son and was truly an amazing woman. She had an incredible amount of energy and good cheer all the time. She was pregnant with her twins at the same time I was pregnant with my son and nothing seemed to bother her or get her down even though carrying twins is rough work.

I honestly think her incredible amount of energy and ability to soldier on (how much energy must it take to work an ob's crazy schedule and have twins?!) plus her general positive nature must have made her not realize how sick she was.

It could have happened to any off us. What it comes down to is that surgery has risks - when Dr. Parks delivered my son by c-section it could have happened to me - but the benefits outweight the risks. In my case I know obesity would kill me so the risk of surgery was worth it, same with getting my son into the world safely.

I am just so saddened by her death. She was just so amazing and her husband is a nice man. It breaks my heart to think about her little ones. Blaming her somehow for it happening is pure madness and mean spirited.

[Kayford 0]

I had to fly home to KC from Tijuana Mexico 2 days post op and I did fine.

[allmykids123 0]

Dr. Finley was friends of our family. Her surgery was done in Conroe, Texas. Don't know much else, other than it was very sudden. She was being treated for strep throat and fell ill on a family vacation. No one is 100% sure where she contracted the strep infection.. could have been anywhere, but considering it was 3 weeks after her surgery, that looks like the culprit.

[ohjuly7878 20]

I'm so sad about this story. I wonder, does anyone know if she had the procedure laparoscopically, or was it an open surgery? I did not find that reference in the article.

I am a physician as well (radiologist) and actually can see how she might have "poo-poo"ed her symptoms. They may have been really subtle and could have been explained by so many other causes. Because this type of post op infection is so rare, she herself might have thought of it and dismissed it. In medical school, we're taught over and over again: "When you hear hoofbeats, don't think zebras".

In any case, my prayers go out to her family. It's such a tragedy.