Appendectomy Do-Over After "Piece of Fat" Removed

Does This Hospital Gown Make My Appendix Look Like Fat?

A Minnesota man who underwent an appendectomy in 2008 had a "piece of fat" removed from his abdomen instead, and the procedure had to be redone after the actual appendix ruptured a short time later, according to a report from the Minnesota Department of Health.

The unidentified patient was discharged from St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee after the first procedure, and received one of those "are you sitting down?" phone calls from the surgeon shortly afterward, telling him about the mistake. A second surgery was necessary to remove what the Minnesota Department of Health report calls the "true appendix" -- as opposed to that imposter clump of fatty tissue in the "I'm an Appendix" t-shirt that could have fooled anyone the first time around.

The report concluded that, although something other than an appendix was removed during an appendectomy, and the patient even required extended hospitalization after complications from the second procedure, "there was no specific evidence that any actions by the hospital caused this to occur." Yeah, it's hard to pinpoint anything.

• Minnesota Department of Public Health Report (health.state.mn.us)
• Minnesota Star Tribune: The Appendectomy That Wasn't