Don't miss the interactive graphic that describes the procedure.
The last graphic shows what happened with two patients. The location of the seeds looks like the z-axis was misread/computed.
The article makes it sound like the fault rests almost entirely with the oncologist but the graphic states that the oncologist is working with a physicist. One wonders how a team could continue to make repeated mistakes over many surgeries.
Ken Mike Palij wrote:
There is a very troubling article in the NY Times about the number of errors made in implanting radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer at a Philadelphia Veterans Administration (VA) hospital; see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/health/21radiation.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all Most of the errors appear to have been made by a single physician who is an M.D./Ph.D. (so much for being overeducated). Outside of the pain and suffering of the patients who were affected by the improperly placed radioactive seeds, it is disturbing how the system of review either didn't work or just broke down and several supervisory organizations failed to realize what was going on. Peer review of the treatment was supposed to operate but clearly failed in this situation. -Mike Palij New York University m...@nyu.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. steel...@appstate.edu Professor Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
