To All:
We are aware of the email that has circulated against Dr. Racelis. Unfortunate as it may be that the email is from an anonymous writer, Dr. Racelis nonetheless has decided to answer it. Attached here with is his reply.
Sincerely yours,
Irma P. Gueco,MD
Head, Patient Partnership Division
The Medical City
DR. RACELIS’ REPLY:
An unsigned email has been circulating which raises various critical points against me. Although unfortunate that the email is not authored, I will still answer the allegations.
Let me start by saying that Cyrelle is someone I know and care for as we have worked together in the hospital. What began as an informal, in-corridor consultation about what was bothering her, eventually resulted in a formal consultation when she visited myclinic. Upon determining what was causing her condition, I recommended surgery. I told Cye however that the decision would be entirely hers. It was notan emergency case that required immediate intervention.
Being a colleague, I felt truly honored and proud tha tshe asked me to be her doctor, knowing she could choose from so many other neurosurgeons. While obtaining informed consent from Cye and her family, I discussed the major risks of surgery including hemorrhage, infection and a leaking of fluids or water from the brain. I further explained that some patients can suddenly lose their vision. In reference to the email that is currently circulating, I would like to state that portions of my previous conversations with Cye and her family weretaken out of context, namely:
When asked how long this type of surgery would take, Ianswered: “The fastest I have ever done was around 45 minutes but the usual is about an hour and a half totwo hours.” Clearly, the writer of the email latchedon to the 45 minutes.
I was also asked how many surgeries I do. To my mind,the question was asked to establish competence and trust in my work. I replied, “Around two to three aweek.” This means I perform a total of two to three surgeries a week—not just this particular type ofsurgery in Cye’s case, but all types of surgery. My answer however was interpreted by the unidentified email writer as three surgeries (specific to the typeof surgery Cye would undergo) per week. This is statistically improbable in my practice because it means performing that particular type of surgery 150 times in a span of one year.
I do not deny saying that Cye, being very young, is at her optimum age for surgery, and will probably undergo quick recovery and discharge.
The anonymous email writer also questioned the time it took for me to inform the family about what transpired during surgery. This is my reply:
In the course of surgery, bleeding occurred. I followed standard procedure by stopping the bleeding. My priority at that moment was exactly that—to stop the bleeding. This took some time. After accomplishing this, I decided that the most prudent course of action would be to terminate the operation. Immediately after surgery, and while Cye was still in the operating room, I informed Cye’s family about what happened. I told them that I pre-terminated the procedure because of brisk bleeding that was encountered during theoperation. As her doctor, I am deeply saddened that due to the complications of surgery, Cye is now comatose. Again, I will state that the conversation I had with the family regarding what should be done was taken out of context by the unnamed author as explained below:
Given Cye’s condition, when asked by the family what Iwould do, I said I could best answer that by referringto certain experiences I myself had to struggle with.
When my sister, due to complications from child birth became brain-dead, it was my burden as the doctor, to explain to the rest of my family that the best option was to remove my sister from the respirator. Althoug hit was an extremely heart-breaking decision to make, I knew it was my duty to tell my family that by doing so, we would be relieving her from any more suffering.
I also referred to my mother who had suffered from cancer. When she became brain-dead, difficult and painful as it was for me, I explained to my family that the best course of action was to end her pain and remove her from the respirator. Although I shared these personal experiences with Cye’s family, I informed them that the decision was theirs to make, not mine.
Admittedly, because Cye is not just an ordinary patient being someone I know personally and care for, I went through extra lengths in ensuring her safety by obtaining a cardiopulmonary clearance, which is not usually necessary for someone her age. Needless to say, all surgeons, and I in particular, always feel acertain amount of stress, anxiety and anguish knowing we are but mere mortals, that we cannot control everything that occurs in the operating room. I followed all pre-operative and operative procedures,took all the necessary precautions, and yet something beyond my control transpired in the course of surgery, which has so unfortunately led to Cye’s present condition.
Because this is the profession we chose to embrace, we bear the burden of what it means to be a physician. There is risk not only to the patient but also to the doctor, precisely because we doctors know our patients carry that risk.
While the writer chooses to hide behind an anonymous unsigned email, taking no accountability for the statements so loosely given, I say with pride and dignity that I am Louie C. Racelis, neurosurgeon— and I answer your allegations head on, confident that I have done everything I could to save Cye. I have reviewed what transpired in that operating room over and overand while I would definitely wish for a different outcome, that Cye’s tumor would not have bled, that it would have been a successful surgery, I am also certain that even if I could turn back time, and start over, I would not do anything different. Difficult and painful as it may be, I will continueon, despite the risks, the anguish, and the condemnation, and in so doing will continue to embrace my profession.
Louie C. Racelis, MD
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It's up to you guys to whom will you believe with... but my advise is... know the pros and cons before you undergo on a surgery. TAKE EXTRA CARE !!!
Cye died after a month hooked to ventilator... PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF CYRELLE ESLAVA !
Read more: http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41271&page=2
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