Prostate surgeon at Philly VA hospital admits errors
July 1st, 2009 joshua
A surgeon at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration hospital admitted he incorrectly implanted radioactive seeds during prostate surgeries.
This error - which occurred nearly 100 times in 3 years at the Philadelphia VA - causes prostate cancer patients to receive incorrect doses of radiation.
The physician, Dr. Gary D. Kao, said the mistake is commonplace during prostate cancer surgeries, and that he’s not going to be labeled a “scapegoat” for problems at the VA in Philadelphia.
Ever since the revelation of horrid conditions inside the Walter Reed Medical Center where returning soldiers were being treated, VA hospitals in the South and now in Philadelphia have been exposed for shoddy conditions inside, and for numerous botched operations and other surgical procedures.
Kao has admitted that he intentionally did not tell patients of his errors, which occurred in nearly all his prostate surgeries performed at the VA.
