Airman Loses Legs In Botched Gallbladder Surgery

[Notorious Kelly]

A Texas Airman stationed at an Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif. has lost both legs after surgeons reportedly botched a routine surgery to remove his gallbladder.

Colton Read, 20, underwent laproscopic surgery last week at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base near Sacramento. Laproscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that involves making a tiny incision to minimize pain and speed recovery time.

About an hour into the surgery, something went wrong. Read's wife Jessica told CBS11TV.com.

"A nurse runs out, 'we need blood now' and she rounds the corner and my gut feelings is 'oh my God, is that my husband?'" Jessica Read said. Read's wife said an Air Force general surgeon mistakenly cut her husband's aortic valve, which supplies blood to the heart, but waited hours to transport Colton Read to a state hospital with a vascular surgeon.

Read, who is still in intensive care, lost both legs as a result of the blood loss. Meanwhile, his gallbladder still has not been removed. Jessica Read said the doctor admitted his mistake, but under federal law the Reads cannot sue.

Jessica Read told FOX 40 she is appalled that the Air Force is even considering medical retirement or medical discharge while Airman Read is incapable of making any type of decision. She said he is not 100 percent lucid and is still heavily medicated.

The Air Force is conducting a review of the case using outside experts.

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Edited July 21, 2009 by Notorious Kelly

[Pete53]

That is aweful

[Papa]

I'm sorry for this young man and his family, but I'm not surprised. When I was in the AF back in the 1971-72 time frame, I started getting terrible stomach aches. I would bend over they were so painful. Many many sick calls, but all I would get was Malaox. I was told that I had "GAS". Went for several upper GIs, Lower GIs, Specialist, etc. All I had was "GAS". Got my discharge, and withing 2 weeks had a bad attack, I was rushed to the local emergency room and some guy that looked 12 (He swore he was a doctor) poked on me and said you have Gallstones. That I had stones throughout my bile system. I went into surgery immediately and now instead of a small scar, I have one all across my stomach. The doctor told me that I was lucky to get discharge when I did or I would not be alive today. Surprised? Nope!

Papa