George Piano and his wife Betsy Piano appear for interview after filing a lawsuit against University of Washington Medical Center Northwest and two surgeons (KIRO/screengrab)
Nearly a year after he went to the emergency room with appendicitis and left with part of his colon removed, a Washington state man has filed a lawsuit against the hospital and two surgeons in a medical malpractice case that stunned his own attorney.
George Piano of Lake Forest Park filed suit last week against the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest and two of the hospital’s surgeons, whom attorney Edward Moore identified as attending physician Nidhi Udyavar and surgeon-in-training Paul Herman.
According to plaintiff patient, George Piano needed an appendectomy on Dec. 6, 2022, but when the surgeons were unable to find his appendix, he ended up having part of his bowel removed — leading to sepsis, an infection, near death, and numerous additional surgeries and hospitalizations.
George Piano sat down with KIRO for an interview on the lawsuit, and he said “I’m not the same person I was when this started.”
“It’s been a hell of a year,” he said. “When I woke up — and came out of the drugs — I was in serious pain, much worse than when I went into the hospital.”
Piano said that he soon learned that a piece of his colon was removed instead of his appendix, and that he was “suffering from a leaking colon” — leading to sepsis, infection, and a near-death experience.
Worse yet, Piano alleged, “she seemed to just make light of it,” referring to the surgeon’s follow-up. “That upset me.”
The plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer Edward Moore said “I’ve never heard of someone who was unable to locate an appendix.”
“And for it to result in this kind of harm and disruption is mind-boggling,” Moore added.
Moore’s law firm said in a press release that Piano’s appendix was removed on Dec. 8, 2022 — two days after the initial surgery — but the damage was already done.
“The doctors had to install an ileostomy bag where Mr. Piano’s intestine protruded from the abdomen so that all waste would be expelled into the bag,” the law firm said. “George has suffered numerous medical problems that did not exist prior to the December 6, 2022, surgery. Mr. Piano had to undergo four additional surgeries and multiple hospitalizations. He had to be treated for an infection caused by the surgery, delayed seeking cancer treatment, and endured extreme pain.”
A UW Medical Center spokesperson reportedly told KIRO that the institution could not comment since the case had just been filed, but they emphasized the hospital “strive[s] to provide the best possible care to all of our patients,” whose “safety and well-being is deeply important to us.”
George Piano and his lawyer, however, allege that the plaintiff is literally scarred for life.
“Naturally, this course of events disrupted their lives in countless ways. Neither George or Betsy expected to spend upwards of a year dealing with open wounds, horrific pain, multiple hospitalizations, constant medical care and extended infirmity,” the law firm added. “George will live with the wounds, related scars and sequelae of this surgical misadventure for the rest of his life.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
