Dr. Butler....revision scheduled

You know this is very sad. I posted an article about Dr. Butler that you can find in the St.Pete Times Archive. This article can saves lives or at least educate people. This is a choice. I would feel bad if Mary died tomorrow because someone didn't like what is fact about Dr. Butler. Let's face it he is # 1 in Malpractice Lawsuites in Florida. We can't post links. But this is so sad. That you feel like you need to protect and remove what is FACT.

Any way someone could email me this article? I can not bring it up at the st pete times site?? not sure what I am doing wrong thanks Linda

Mary, I only hoped you have read this. This article is just to inform you about him. It is up to you who you use. However, I would feel bad if anything happened to you because Obesityhelp.com DOES NOT APPROVE OF THIS ARTICLE. This is an article in St. Pete Times about Dr. Butler. You have the right to know and the right to decide for yourself. Suits mount against surgeon:[SOUTH PINELLAS Edition] WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE. St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jun 23, 2002. pg. 1.A Full Text (2559 words) Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jun 23, 2002 Robin Coulter, self-conscious about his 260 pounds, wanted to lose his big belly. After years of diets and jogging failed, he read about surgery that allowed singer Carnie Wilson to drop 150 pounds. Though his wife thought it unnecessary, Coulter, 41, wanted the same operation. Dr. Michael B. Butler, a surgeon who specializes in weight-loss operations at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, performed the Seminole County man's surgery. In the hours after his release from Palms, Coulter sometimes screamed in agony. His family says Butler dismissed his pain as gas. Less than a month later, the postal supervisor died of complications from an infection. "Butler's got to be stopped," said Coulter's wife, Nanette Coulter, whose attorneys are preparing a lawsuit against Butler. "I can't tell you the hell my daughter and I have been through." A St. Petersburg Times review of court cases in Seminole, Orange and Pinellas counties shows that Butler has been sued for medical malpractice 23 times and has settled at least two claims before suits were filed. Those 25 claims involve at least 13 patients who died after surgery, including nine after weight-loss surgery. (Butler was dropped as a defendant in two of those suits involving patients who died.) Butler or his insurers have paid at least $2.25-million in claims since the early 1980s. Several Orlando-area hospitals are attempting to revoke Butler's staff privileges because of accusations of negligent care, the surgeon confirmed in an interview. Palms says it checked Butler's history thoroughly before giving him privileges. The latest lawsuit, filed in Pinellas County, is the only one involving Palms. Butler, 63, of Altamonte Springs outside Orlando, says he has performed 6,000 weight-reduction surgeries in a 30-year career. Butler, former president of the Orange County Medical Society, said he is a skilled surgeon unfairly attacked in lawsuits. He said severely obese people face shortened lives without weight-reduction surgery, also called bariatric surgery. He says he's one of the few doctors who'll take these cases. The complication rate for obese patients is high, he said, because of underlying diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. As a result, bariatric doctors are sued for malpractice more often because patients are more likely to do poorly, not because doctors make more mistakes, Butler said. No matter how skilled the surgeon, things can go wrong, he said. "This is the riskiest operation any general surgeon can do," he said. "Every time I operate on someone, it's a high-risk patient. I work on a lot of patients other surgeons won't even touch." Gastric-bypass surgery has become increasingly popular in recent years. Some point to Wilson Phillips singer Carnie Wilson's operation in 1999 as helping to popularize the procedure. It also helps that insurance often covers the surgery. The American Society for Bariatric Surgery estimates more than 42,000 Americans had the surgery last year, more than double the number in 1997. The surgeries Butler performs cost between $20,000 and $25,000. He has testified that he performs up to 130 operations a year. According to the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity, bariatric surgeons face a higher risk of malpractice lawsuits than physicians in many other specialties because patients are often sicker. In the most common weight-reduction operation, a patient's stomach is separated into two parts. The smaller part, the size of a thumb, is so small a patient feels full much more quickly after eating. The surgeon also reroutes the intestines. About 1 percent of patients who have the surgery die and 7 percent of patients endure complications. The Times reviewed a list of the 41 Florida doctors listed as regular or affiliate members of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. According to Florida Department of Health and Department of Insurance records for the last decade, Butler leads the list of physicians in the number of claims more than $5,000. No other physician has half as many. Not all bariatric surgeons are affiliated with the society. Butler, however, said few of those surgeons have as much experience as he does. "It appears I do more operations than others," he said, noting he has performed bariatric surgery longer than probably any surgeon in Florida. Not all malpractice complaints against Butler involved weight- loss surgery. Of the 25 lawsuits or settled claims, at least 11 involve allegations unrelated to bariatric surgery, a Times review shows. In 1986, Orange County resident Betty Heard, 53, died of complications after gallstone surgery. Survivors filed suit in 1988 against Butler and Florida Hospital, and a $30,000 settlement was paid on Butler's behalf. In 1989, Thomas Gray of Orange County died after exploratory surgery. His survivors filed suit against Butler, another doctor and Florida Hospital. A $15,000 settlement was paid on Butler's behalf. In 1997, two years after bariatric surgery, Luz Hernandez, 29, of Orlando died after Butler misdiagnosed a bowel obstruction as constipation, a lawsuit says. Lawyers say Hernandez had gangrene in her bowel. Family attorneys say the obstruction was unrelated to her bariatric surgery performed by Butler. A pending lawsuit names as defendants a hospital, several physicians and Butler. "It's a poor excuse to say you're up against a very dangerous, high-risk patient and that stuff can go wrong," said attorney Theodore Babbitt, who has sued Butler on behalf of three patients. "You have to be practicing bad medicine to get bad results," he said. "Risk alone doesn't explain why someone has all these malpractice lawsuits filed against him." Allegations of negligence against Butler involve surgical errors and postoperative care. In 1990, the Florida Department of Professional Regulation wrote a letter of guidance to Butler, telling him he failed to provide reasonably prudent care to a patient he operated on to perform a breast biopsy. A letter of guidance falls short of a reprimand and is usually issued in cases the state considers less serious. DPR said Butler left a surgical drain in the woman's breast. The drain should have been removed after two to seven days, DPR said. Another physician removed it after almost two years. Another patient, Nijole L. Naikus, 50, died in 1993 in Orange County after weight-reduction surgery with Butler. During the operation, Butler allegedly failed to properly insert a chest tube to treat a collapsed lung, which lawyers said contributed to Naikus' death. "That's something every EMT and paramedic and first-year intern knows how to do," said Babbitt, *****presented Naikus' family and settled a lawsuit for $250,000, Butler's policy limits. After his surgery, the 260-pound Coulter ran a fever of 100.6 degrees and sweated profusely. His wife says she complained to Butler and others that her husband should not be discharged too quickly. Three days after surgery, Coulter was sent home, she said. "I didn't think he was well enough to go home," Mrs. Coulter said. "I said that over and over again to anybody who would listen. They told me he was fine." Coulter suffered from an infection, his lawyers say. The day after his discharge, his wife recalls, he was in excruciating pain. Butler agreed to see him late that evening. Coulter was soon in surgery again, where he had a heart attack. At some point after surgery, he lost brain activity. Almost a month after surgery, Mrs. Coulter ordered doctors to remove life support. "My last time in the room before he died, I kissed him and told him, 'Quit fighting.' I told him, 'Go home and be with God,' " Mrs. Coulter said. Butler said he is a victim of a growing wave of malpractice litigation against doctors. Butler, who has admitted no wrongdoing in the lawsuits he has faced, said that his insurance carriers often settle lawsuits against him before trial to avoid costly litigation. Butler said he has disagreed with accusations in the lawsuits. But under Florida law, carriers can settle cases without his permission. The Florida Board of Medicine, which can discipline doctors, declined to discuss Butler. But board president Zachariah P. Zachariah, a Fort Lauderdale cardiologist, said lawsuits are a poor indicator of physician skill. It's one reason why the state doesn't discipline doctors based only on the number of lawsuits filed against them. "If you find a doctor with 1,400 lawsuits filed against them," he said, "then I acknowledge, there is something wrong someplace." Butler grew up in St. Petersburg and graduated from Gibbs High School. He went on to the Howard University College of Medicine and has performed variations of weight-loss surgery since the 1970s. The physician has practiced almost exclusively in the Orlando area over the past three decades. He gained surgical privileges at Palms of Pasadena in February 2000 and said he maintains an apartment in St. Petersburg. Butler and his malpractice history sometimes drew media attention while he practiced in the Orlando area. His history was prominently featured in an Orlando Sentinel series about medical malpractice in 1995. In 1998, Butler's record was examined by ABC's 20/20 news magazine. The same year, Butler faced what might have been the challenge of his professional life. This time, state regulators threatened his medical license. In May 1998, the state placed an emergency restriction on Butler's medical license after an expert identified problems in several of his cases. The state ordered Butler to immediately stop performing bariatric surgery. Butler said the state's expert wasn't one and was a physician who never performed bariatric surgery. In a later administrative complaint, the chief medical counsel for the Agency for Health Care Administration accused Butler of providing inadequate care to four patients betwee***** and 1996. Three of those patients received bariatric surgery and died from complications, state records show. The fourth survived gallbladder surgery. Later, after other surgeons reviewed Butler's work, the counsel determined that Butler's care was not negligent in the three deaths. Charges involving those cases were dismissed and restrictions lifted. In the complaint involving the gallbladder patient, Butler agreed to get 10 additional hours of medical training in laparoscopic surgery. Within two years, Butler applied for surgical privileges at Palms and at a hospital in Daytona Beach, Butler told lawyers in a lawsuit. The other hospital did not grant him privileges; Palms did. Palms officials, who promote bariatric surgery on a Web site (www.obesitynomorefl.com), refused to discuss Butler's malpractice history or its credentialing process. In the one Pinellas lawsuit against Butler, Palms is being sued for negligently credentialing the doctor. "He went through a thorough credentialing process, as we do with all physicians," said Bruce Baldwin, Palms' chief executive officer. "If there were any issues, they were thoroughly investigated." Aside from Palms, Butler has privileges at three Orlando-area hospitals, according to state records. In an interview, Butler said several hospitals in the Orlando area are trying to revoke his privileges because of allegations of negligent patient care. He declined to identify the hospitals. Butler said the hospitals are seeking to prevent him from caring for severely obese patients because of the litigation risk. "It's a prejudice against the obese patient," he said. In litigation against Butler, some experts have testified that a surgeon with his history shouldn't have privileges at any hospital. "That number of cases is just incomprehensible for anybody to allow a physician to continue on the staff," Gary Steinberg, a health care consultant and former hospital administrator, told lawyers in a lawsuit unrelated to Palms. "That is something hospitals should be doing something about," Steinberg testified. "They have a responsibility to the community." At a support group meeting last weekend at Palms attended by about 50 people, Butler told potential patients that the surgery has risks of complication, including death. He didn't mention his malpractice history. Fit and soft-spoken, Butler introduced more than a dozen men and women who successfully underwent surgery. Some have lost more than 100 pounds. Cindy Harshbarger, who lost 31 pounds after surgery three weeks before, said she is pleased, saying, "It's a built-in behavior modification program." But James Deaton, 60, of Umatilla, a small town about 12 miles northwest of Orlando, said his wife would be alive if she had known Butler's history before undergoing bariatric surgery i***** His wife, Sandy Deaton, hated being obese. Dreaming of a healthy figure, the 310-pound woman tried every fad diet. Nothing worked. Mrs. Deaton, 47, heard about the surgery through a friend and signed up. A month after the operation, Mrs. Deaton died from complications related to an infection after a leak in her surgically reconfigured stomach. A lawsuit against Butler was settled for $250,000. "I'm sure many of his operations are decent," Deaton said in an interview last month. "But when you're dealing with life and death, you can't afford to keep tripping up like he does." - Times researchers Kitty Bennett, Catherine Wos and Barbara Oliver contributed to this report. The cases against Dr. Butler This is a list of lawsuits filed against Dr. Michael Butler or other malpractice claims he has settled. [Table] Year Patient County Payment Filed Filed Unknown Gene Wood Orange $250,000 Early 80s Rod Fidler Unknown $25,000 1985 Thelma Jean Jones Orange $150,000 to $175,000 1985 Theresa White Orange $150,000 to $175,000 1986 Deborah Cox Seminole $50,000 1987 Frank Duchscher Seminole $10,000 1988 Joanne Andrews Seminole $25,000 1988 Betty J. Heard Orange $30,000 1988 Judith Gordon Orange Butler dropped from case Late '80s Russell Jester Unknown $100,000 1990 Harold Hopkins Orange Butler dropped from case 1990 Evelyn Denson Orange $150,000 trial verdict 1991 Thomas Gray Orange $15,000 1993 Bruce S. Margolis Seminole Case dropped 1995 Joretha Pollack Orange $50,000 1995 Nijole Naikus Orange $250,000 1995 Sandra Deaton Orange $250,000 1996 Gloria Jones Orange $145,000 1996 Tammy L. Shultz Orange $190,000 1996 Ricardo Dickson Orange $150,000 1997 Tillis Churchill Orange Pending 1998 Luz Hernandez Orange Pending 2002 Thomas K. Harvin Pinellas Pending Other cases involving patients who settled malpractice claims before filing suit or who settled claims but the Times was unable to confirm if they ever filed suit: [Table] 1996 Dermertine Scott Unknown $250,000 Unkwn Richard Olson Unknown $10,000 SOURCES: Civil court records in Seminole, Orange and Pinellas counties; Dr. Butler's deposition in the malpractice case of Tammy Shultz; records of the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Insurance. How the surgery works Stomach bypass surgery not only reduces the size of the stomach, it also reduces levels of a hormone called Fhrelin, thought to stimulate appetite, which is produced by stomach cells, a new study says. In a bypass, the stomach is separated into two parts. The upper part forms a small egg-sized pouch. The lower stomach and first portion of the small intestine (duodenum) are bypassed by cutting the small intestine and reconnecting the lower section (jejunum) to the upper stomach. Food passed directly into the jejunum. In order for digestive juices from the lower stomach to assist in digestion, the duodenum is reconnected to the lower section of the small intestine. Sources: U.S. Bariatric Inc.; Forest Health Services Corp.; The Surgical Weight Loss Center; New England Journal of Medicine. [Illustration] Caption: Dr. Michael Butler; Robin Coulter; (1997) Nanette Coulter didn't think her husband, Robin, who weighed 260 pounds, needed Dr. Michael B. Butler to operate on him. Also pictured, daughter Whitney.; (1977) James Deaton with his wife Sandy.; James Deaton; today; Illustrates step-by-step instructions on how the surgery is done.; lists lawsuits filed against Dr. Michael Butler; Photo: PHOTO, (2); PHOTO, Family photo, (2); PHOTO, DANIEL WALLACE; DRAWING, Associated Press art; CHART

Thanks for all the care and concern. I did read the article. I am a crictical care RN and have been for 12 years now. After reviewing all the data, I am going in to speak with Dr Butler regarding the article. He does bariatrics only now and works with pts that other physicians turn away because they don't want to take the chance of their complication rate soaring. He also does more bari surgeries than most and so therefore will have a higher complication rate. I worked in Utah at one of the major hospitals and took care of 4-5 people in the icu in a 2 year time period that died. It was sad, but these people had a list of pre existing conditions a page long. I work with many fine surgeons now, but see mistakes on a daily basis. We are all human. I will make my final decision after taking the article to him and speaking with him. Thanks to all. And I agree AMOS should not remove posts even if the press is biased.

The following is an article I found in the Tampa Tribune Not a reflection of skill Re: Suits mount against surgeon, by William R. Levesque, June 23. I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Michael Butler professionally for well over two years. In my job, it is my responsibility to ensure that all patients, regardless of the surgeon, are well-informed and aware of their respective surgical intervention. I also maintain the responsibility of ensuring that certain chart criteria have been met before the patient has surgery. I have never witnessed Dr. Butler allowing a patient to undergo bariatric surgery without meeting with him or her immediately prior to surgery to answer questions or address concerns. Each patient is well aware of the increased risk due to his or her underlying medical conditions -- e.g., hypertension, diabetes, impaired circulation and decreased lung capacity -- before undergoing this risky procedure. Historically, these patients are not healthy before bariatric surgery. However, due to their voiced concerns regarding their quality of life and health, they make an informed decision to have this high-risk surgery. Dr. Butler's patients' charts are always in order. Necessary tests are always available for review by the surgical team before surgery. I have personally never witnessed Dr. Butler not being the consummate professional. I would not hesitate in allowing Dr. Butler to perform surgery on me or my family. Litigation should not be a measure of skill nor should it be allowed to malign a dedicated surgeon's reputation. Unfortunately, not all surgical intervention has the desired positive outcome. This does not always reflect a surgeon's skill. There are times when insurmountable odds are just that -- insurmountable. -- Wanda Young, R.N., St. Petersburg Print the positive side Re: Suits mount against surgeon, June 23. I found this article to be extremely unfair and negatively biased toward Dr. Butler. If you are going to print the facts, then print all of the facts. No statistics were printed about how many patients lives were saved due to Dr. Butler's work. Obesity surgery has an average 1 percent mortality rate. Dr. Butler has performed obesity surgery on more than 6,000 patients, so one can do the math. I, for one, consider Dr. Butler to be a pioneer in his field, taking on patients that other doctors choose not to due to risk. If you were to take a survey of Dr. Butler's patients, I guarantee you will find less than 1 percent are unhappy with the results that he has provided. He has given me, and many others, a new lease on life, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Palms of Pasadena hospital has also improved lives by supporting Dr. Butler and providing outstanding care to Dr. Butler's patients. I would like to see an article printed that includes the positive side of weight loss surgery. Include some testimonials from those of us who consider Dr. Butler a lifesaver. -- Tracie Petroski-Brown, Orlando

Well there is definitly always 2 sides to every story huh. Good Luck in whatever you chose Mary. Michelle

In your research, take a look at Dr Jawad....352-351-5770 He is highly skilled and came highly recommended to me. I had my surgery Lap RNY 3/22/04 and I feel I couldn't have picked a better surgeon. The office staff are great and will answer any questions you have. Good Luck!

Dr Butler did my RNY in 2001. I lost 150s before the bipass totally closed causing the staple line to rupture. I spent many years in pain, cat scans didn't show anything by that time Butler was dead so I was just seeing a GP. Finally I had a barium test that showed I had a gastro gastric fistula.

So my anatomy is as if i never had surgery. I had gained 100 pounds back but have worked hard to take 60 of that off (not easy when you are over 50). I wish I knew this happened to other people, it would have made me feel like less of a failure. It may have saved me years of pain.