Mocobizscene– A well-known cardiologist at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York is facing a lawsuit for supposedly neglecting to inform a patient about a cyst, which later developed into advanced stage IV pancreatic cancer, according to recently filed court papers.
According to her lawsuit, patient Johanna Punzone, 79, is accusing Dr Michael Argenziano, a cardiac surgeon at the hospital, of negligence. She claims that she could have avoided the dire outcome if she had been informed about the cancerous growth back in 2021.
Instead, the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court states that the cancer was left undiagnosed and untreated, allowing it to grow and spread. By the time it was finally discovered in September, the pancreatic cancer had already metastasized, affecting not only the pancreas but also the liver and pelvic bones.
Punzone, who relies on a walker and wheelchair and has undergone chemotherapy, expressed frustration at the lack of information provided to her regarding her cyst. “I wouldn’t be in this situation if someone had informed me about the cyst,” she stated in a recent interview with The Post.
“I could have taken care of it,” she said, reflecting on her current situation.
According to the lawsuit, Argenziano, who is the associate chief of the adult cardiac surgery section and director of the thoracic surgery residency program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, had requested a CT scan for Punzone before her mitral valve replacement surgery on August 24, 2021.
During the CT scan, it was discovered that Puzone had a cystic lesion measuring 1 centimetre in the tail of her pancreas. This finding was described as unexpected, abnormal, and significant in the court documents that Puzone’s lawyer, Andrew Carboy, filed on December 6.
The lawsuit states that Honga Ma, the radiologist, and Argenziano’s physician assistant, Elizabeth West, recommended follow-up tests for Puzone’s pancreatic cyst.
According to the complaint, Punzone was never informed that she had a small cancerous cyst.
After two years, Punzone started experiencing hip and bone discomfort, which led her to seek medical attention from doctors at New Jersey’s Riverview Medical Center. Upon examination, she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
According to the filing, it is clear that reading comprehension cannot exist without actually reading the text. The filing also suggests that only the defendant, radiologist Ma, read the report section describing the pancreatic mass and the recommended next steps for evaluation.
According to the lawsuit, Punzone could have taken action in 2021 to contain or remove the small cyst before it developed into cancer. Unfortunately, the cyst spread to Punzone’s pancreas, liver, and pelvis.
Carboy, in the court papers, stated that the defendants worsened the chances of a positive outcome for the plaintiff’s pancreatic cancer. They exacerbated the spread and severity of the disease, preventing her from having a significant chance of being cured.
The defendants’ negligence has resulted in an unfortunate situation where Ms. Punzone’s cancer was diagnosed as inoperable. Sadly, her condition had been left untreated for years, allowing the cancer to spread unchecked. The filing further explains that surgical removal of her cancer is not an option for Ms. Punzone.
“I’m now in God’s hands,” Punzone confided to The Post.
The lawsuit is seeking damages for negligence without specifying a specific amount.
Argenziano, Columbia Medical, and Presbyterian Hospital have not provided any immediate comments.
West, who is no longer employed at the hospital, has not commented. Similarly, Ma has also declined to comment.
In a landmark case, two hospitals in New York have settled with 147 former patients who lodged allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against former gynaecologist Robert Hadden. The hospitals have agreed to pay a substantial sum of over $165 million to compensate the victims.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian have agreed to create a $71 million compensation fund for 79 former patients of Hadden.
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