Renuka Reddy Bankulla, MD, has been identified as the anesthesiologist involved in the elective procedure at New York-based Yorkville Endoscopy that lead to comedian Joan Rivers' death last year, according to a New York Post report.
According to a number of previous sources, several mistakes were made related to sedation of Ms. Rivers. For example, there was a failure to record Ms. Rivers' weight prior to sedation and inconsistent documentation of the dose of Propofol administered to her. Additionally, the physicians present failed to identify the deterioration of Ms. Rivers' vital signs in time to effectively resuscitate her.
The other two physicians involved in the procedure are ENT specialist Gwen Korovin, MD, Ms. Rivers' personal physician and Leonard Cohen, MD, the former medical director of the clinic who was subsequently removed from his post.
New York City-based Yorkville Endoscopy recently announced it has a plan to correct its accreditation and safety errors, and CMS has approved the plan.
Dr. Bankulla declined to comment on the incident when the New York Post reached out to her, according to the report.
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