New Report Reveals Clinic Which Treated Joan Rivers Overlooked 'Deteriorating Vital Signs'; Melissa 'Outraged'

UPDATE: The New York Post reports today that comedian Joan Rivers could have been saved if the Yorkville Endoscopy Center, the clinic where she underwent a routine procedure back in August had an important drug on hand which is used in emergency resuscitation situations.

According to the family's legal team, doctors at the clinic failed to have Succinylcholine in their 'crash cart,' on August 28th. The emergency drug is used to almost instantly relax and open a swollen-shut trachea. The administration of the medication may have made a key difference in allowing Rivers to breathe again.

As BWW reported earlier today, according to The Hollywood Reporter , Manhattan's Yorkville Endoscopy has been cited by federal regulators for a host of deficiencies.

The report, issued by the New York Department of Health, indicates that doctors at the clinic "failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely INTERVENTION during the procedure on Aug. 28," as the legendary comedienne suffered from a lack of Oxygen to the brain.

Among the violations listed in the report obtained by THR was "not obtaining the patient's consent for a procedure, mistakes in administering the anesthesia Propofol, failing to take Rivers' weight, allowing an unauthorized doctor to perform a procedure at the facility and violating the patient's privacy by taking a cell phone photograph during surgery."

Also included in the report which consists of 22 pages, is a review of the events which occurred in the operating room. "It was determined that the facility failed to ensure that patient care services are provided in a manner that protects the health and safety of all patients," the reports read. "As a result of the significant findings that were identified which compromised patient safety, an Immediate Jeopardy was declared."

Despite being rushed to New York City's Mt. Sinai Hospital, Rivers passed away on September 4th.

In order to prevent a loss of its Medicare funding beginning on January 7th, the clinic must correct the issues stated in the report and pass a future unannounced survey

Lawyers for River's daughter, Melissa Rivers responded to the report in a statement which reads, "Our client, Melissa Rivers, is terribly disappointed to learn of the multiple failings on the part of medical personnel and the clinic as evidenced by the CMS report. As any of us would be, Ms. Rivers is outraged by the misconduct and mismanagement now shown to have occurred before, during and after the procedure. Moving forward, Ms. Rivers will direct her efforts towards ensuring that what happened to her mother will not occur again with any other patient."

Yorkville Endoscopy issued a statement which reads, "From the outset of the Aug. 28 incident described in the CMS Report, Yorkville has been fully cooperative and collaborative with all regulatory and accreditation agencies. In response to the statement of deficiencies, Yorkville immediately submitted and implemented a plan of correction that addressed all issues raised. The regulatory agencies are currently reviewing the corrective plan of action and have been in regular contact with Yorkville. In addition, the physicians involved in the direct care and treatment referenced in the report no longer practice or provide services at Yorkville. Yorkville will continue its commitment to complying with all standards and accreditation requirements."

The statement continues, "Yorkville has been and remains open and active and is fully accredited by an independent review organization. The staff and providers are focused on providing the highest quality and most advanced care possible to its patients."

Read the story in full here

Rivers made the rounds in New York during the 1950s, appearing in a few off-off Broadway plays (including one where she played a lesbian opposite an equally unknownBarbra Streisand), surviving sleazy agents, tawdry clubs, and hostile audiences. A 1965 booking on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" led to her hosting one of the first Syndicated talk shows on daytime TV, "That Show with Joan Rivers" in 1968.

In the 1970s Joan wrote the TV-movie The Girl Most Likely To (starring Stockard Channing) and then wrote and directed her first feature film Rabbit Test, casting Billy Crystal in the lead. In 1983 Joan became the permanent guest host on "The Tonight Show." Later, she headlined in Las Vegas, sold out Carnegie Hall, produced a Grammy nominated comedy album, and wrote two best-selling books. In 1989 the Tribune Corporation launched Joan in her own Syndicated daytime talk show.

She won an Emmy and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1994 she wrote and starred on Broadway in Sally Marr and Her Escorts, for which she received a Best Actress Tony nomination. Since then, Joan has written five more best-selling books, maintains her own jewelry line on QVC, served as host of the series "How'd You Get So Rich?" on TVLand, and filmed a special for Bravo. In 2009, she was the winner of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice". In 2010, she returned to The FASHION POLICE show on E! and was featured on the big screen in the acclaimed Sundance Award-winning documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. In 2011, she launch the reality TV series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? on Oxygen, which is now in its 4th season.

Her Broadway credits include Fun City, Broadway Bound and Sally Marr...and her escorts, for which she received a Drama Desk Nomination as Outstanding Actress in a Play and a Tony Nomination for Best Actress in a Play. Her solo show, Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress, played at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse before moving to Edinburgh Festival Fringe, followed by a run at the Leicester Square Theatre in 2008.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski