Medical Malpractice by NYC Clinic Caused Joan Rivers’ Untimely Death

A comedy legend’s decades-long performance came to an end last September 4th, and the family of Joan Rivers has filed charges of medical malpractice in NYC against the endoscopy clinic involved. Details of Ms. Rivers’ untimely death are explained in an October 16, 2014 feature article by Cate Meighan for Music Times:

Lack of Oxygen to Brain

After weeks of speculation, the cause of Joan Rivers’ unexpected death Sept. 4 is finally known: a lack of oxygen to the brain. Rivers had checked herself into the Yorkville Clinic in New York City for an endoscopic procedure Aug. 28 when things went wrong…

Sedation too hard to handle

The New York Chief Medical Examiner indicated in its released statement that Ms. Rivers died due to lack of oxygen while under Propofol sedation. This anesthetic drug figured prominently in the untimely death of pop star Michael Jackson. Medical experts point out that Propofol is so potent that prescribed dosage to elder patients should be lower than that of a younger patient.

Basis of negligence claim

The comedienne’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, alleges that the clinic handling her mother’s procedure was negligent because administration of Propofol requires constant supervision to avoid mishaps such as her mother’s death. She added that if her mother were treated in a hospital, she would still be up and about cracking jokes.

Multimillion dollar lawsuit

Having enlisted a prominent New York medical practice firm, Melissa Rivers has sued the Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic for the wrongful death of her mother. She alleges that the clinic failed to provide the necessary precautions while administering the sedative to her mother.

Clinic unfit to do business

Relative to the legal action against the Upper East Side clinic, it was reported that the Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic was declared “no longer able to meet the requirements for participation as a supplier of services in the Medicare program” by the New York State Department of Health after a routine federal inspection. No details of the violations were provided, but failure of the clinic to address them will result in the removal of their Medicare reimbursements.

A firm such as The Law Offices of Joseph M. Lichtenstein PC, whose expertise is in the realm of medical malpractice lawsuits similar to the above, can be trusted to do everything to help complainants bring their case to justice and achieve a substantial verdict in their favor.

(Article excerpt and image from “Lack of Oxygen to Brain Caused Joan Rivers’s Unexpected Death; Malpractice Still Potential Issue”, 16 October 2014, Music Times)

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