Newest Joan Rivers update: her personal ear-nose-throat doctor, who reportedly took a throat biopsy that was not previously authorized by Rivers, seems to have also taken a picture of himself (selfie) during the procedure.
The case of the comedienne's death has been making the news lately, as the latest Joan Rivers updates indicate her death was preventable and came due to poor medical practices.
The 'Fashion Police' star was in Manhattan's Yorkville Endoscopy clinic for a scheduled routine procedure (an endoscopy to figure out the reasons behind her hoarse voice and sore throat at the time), performed by the clinic's medical director, Dr. Lawrence Cohen. The procedure meant having a camera inserted down Ms. Rivers' throat to get a clear view what was happening in the area.
However, Joan Rivers updates report that once the endoscopy was performed, a second unnamed doctor (reportedly, the comedienne's personal ear-nose-throat doctor) performed a biopsy of her vocal cords; one that had not been previously authorized by the star.
An anonymous source told CNN that this ear-nose-throat doctor not only took a selfie during the procedure, when she was under anesthesia; he was also not certified by the clinic to perform the biopsy. This us actually a law obligation; even with a medical degree, doctors are required to get approval to practice in any particular clinic or hospital. However, newest Joan River updates say that the physician who performed the biopsy did not have this certification.
The Yorkville Endoscopy clinic released a statement last week publicly denying that the biopsy didn't occur, and that the clinic had never performed such a treatment; also, the declaration said the clinic has never administered general anesthesia, as they use "monitored anesthesia care."
As the investigations go on, it is hard to tell at this point exactly what happened, other than the comedienne came in to the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic for an endoscopy and was rushed by paramedics to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she died a week later. Any other Joan Rivers updates will come in the next few weeks.
