Complaint Review: Mayo Clinic Department of General Surgery - Rochester Minnesota

The Mayo Clinic is a bastion of testosterone and horny men - who will take a woman patient to surgery for a diagnosis that the Medicine Service handles with an injection of an anesthetic agent (2% lidocaine) - just like the boys in Steubenville will do anything to get a 16-year old naked.  The lies that the Surgical Service tells, the omitting of the Carnett's test, are no better maneuvers than the high school footballers use to get teen girls drunk in Ohio - they flatter, they have the 'look,' and they talk about the 'glory' of Mayo Clinic while saying in effect that you wouldn't object to getting naked in a surgical suite - it's the halo effect of the white coat and the Mayo Clinic.  It's a take as much as an Obama campaign speech.  And Dr. Sarr will order the anesthesia for the woman patient - like a 'date rape' drug.  The Anesthesia Service goes along with this IV 'date rape.'    

Anterior abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment problems - where a superficial abdominal nerve is inflamed - are especially misdiagnosed, lied about, the patient is immediately rushed to Surgery before the Medical Service has a chance.  An unnecessary surgery at St. Mary's ORs - and St. Marys should be a place of honesty - not duping patients into unnecessary procedures. 

Dr. John Bundrick should long ago, with the help of the Legal Department & Jill Smith, mandated that any abdominal point tenderness be seen by the Medical Service before Surgery - and the triage is backwards at Mayo Clinic.  This is intentional deceit, intentional railroading of Medicine patient to an unnecessary surgical procedure that has morbidities.  It's malpractice.  But the problem is the doing of an unconsented for neurectomy.  Where an abdominal nerve is removed, causing loss of abdominal wall sensation, skin atrophy, and chronic pain from the neurectomy.  It's not the cure for abdominal wall nerve pains - and the Surgical Service knows this.  It's a procedure for the students, residents and the money.

The Mayo medical students expect that attendings will get them surgeries while they prance around in pristine whites - Blacks, Whites, Hispanics & Asians - are just as bad as the Steubenville highers - they don't take responsibility for their education, getting their own patients, knowing the case.  Black students especially play this 'card,' and should not be in an OR without (1) knowing the case, and (2) the consent of the patient.  Dr. Sarr & others 'get' the patients that black medical students 'scare' and butcher - which is not appropriate.  They show at the bedside of neurectomies - and they have not read the Mayo Clinic Proceedings or their clerkship materials.

All Mayo surgical residents & students should be responsible for their own education and participating in 'getting' the surgeries & the workup - the consent should be gotten by the student & resident pair with the attending surgeon in tow.  And that's not what happens to the privileged Mayo students, residents & fellows - who walk in and take-over appointments & surgeries.  But these surgeries cannot include abdominal wall pain before a Carnett's test - and no one mentions the Carnett's test at Mayo Clinic - but it is in their literature.  And it seems that only patients, and physicians not hired by Mayo Clinic, read the Clinic Proceedings.

The Minnesota Medical Board claims that they have no control over Mayo Clinic, and can't regulate that Mayo Clinic will do unconsented procedures on women patients - procedures that have never been discussed or even remotely considered by the patient - even the MD patients, and Mayo physicians on other services, are shocked at some of the ad lib.  So in effect, the Minnesota Medical Board supports that physicians at Mayo Clinic can do unconsented for procedures on women patients without consent, discussion or need - which is going to lead to a mess.  Medical Boards finally legislated in the 1980s & 90s that mastectomies & lumpectomies had to be consented to, now that's apparently gone too. 

It's the same 'take' - get a girl naked and laugh - in the OR as at footballer parties in Ohio.  But the clincher - the Mayo Clinic surgeon - like Tiger Woods post-interview comments - will say to the family on the phone that, "So what the patient gave no consent, and there was no discussion" - Dr. Sarr IS the Mayo Clinic.  Too bad that the Mayo Clinic doesn't put some restrictions on the use of the brand name - that they let Dr. Sarr & his staff abuse the meaning of patient care - that it's just a game for the money - trick the patient and play the medical insurance card. 

First, women patients trust that male attendings, and Chiefs of Surgery at Mayo Clinic, will give them all their options, do the complete workup with scans & tests - before taking a patient to the OR.  MD patients should not have to send Dr. Sarr the paper from the Surgical Literature that cover their 'case.'  Yet at times, it's a come-on and a quickie surgery without thought.  And yes it is tempting to fill an OR slot prematurely, but a Chief of Surgery at Mayo should not do this - and this should not be allowed by OR supervisors who let Dr. Sarr start a procedure without consent all the time.   

The  Minnesota Medical Board allows this but they shouldn't.  And when the Mass General Hospital does an incorrect unconsented procedure - they publish how they handle this (NEJM 363;20 nejm.org November 11, 2010) - they immediately undo, and do the correct operation.  And the Massachusetts Medical Board goes along with this to encourage unnecessary complaints, suits, and legal actions.  But the Minnesota Medical Board does not encourage Mayo Clinic to handle these incorrect operations by undoing, repair, and apology - they lie about it.  Dr. Sarr doesn't undo his incorrect procedures, he tries to sue the patients for defamation - of a character that he lacks.

It is a thought that the Mayo Clinic should adopt some of the pre-OR checks of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the outlook that incorrect surgeries should be undone, apologized for, and a settlement made for the damage asap.