How Did a Routine Endoscopy Result in Joan Rivers’ Death?

We would be remiss to ignore what happened to Joan Rivers as this tragedy has put outpatient surgical centers in the spotlight. Reports state that she was having a routine endoscopy performed to evaluate her vocal cords when she suddenly stopped breathing. When efforts to revive her failed, she was transported to a nearby hospital and was put on life-support in the ICU.

This has left many questioning the safety of having procedures carried out in an outpatient facility rather than a hospital and has also put many patients currently scheduled for an endoscopy on edge.

So what really happened? Investigators, as well as the medical community, want to know.

In this article by Jim Burger of Outpatient Magazine, this topic is reviewed. Burger reveals that the doctors involved were GI doctors, rather than ENT doctors, who would be the ones to perform procedures on vocal cords. This indicates that a more complex procedure was likely being carried out and that it likely involved Ms. Rivers being placed under deeper sedation.

Because anesthesia does put a strain on the heart, it may have caused the seemingly healthy 81-year old patient to have a heart attack. Or she may have succumbed to any of the other hazards carried by anesthesia including aspiration, laryngospasm or over-sedation. As of right now, the cause of this tragedy is still unknown but it is important that doctors reassure their patients of the safety of having procedures done in ASC’s.