Joan Rivers: Health Department Launches Probe Into Clinic

As a result of Joan Rivers’ cardiac arrest and subsequent medically-induced coma, the New York state Department of Health has instigated a “review” probe into the throat clinic where the iconic comic had surgery, according to TMZ.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, comedienne Joan Rivers underwent a “procedure” on her vocal chords last Thursday on an outpatient basis. While there, Rivers experienced a cardiac arrest. Emergency services were summoned, and the New York Fire Department was the first to arrive. They took Joan to Mount Sinai Hospital where doctors sedated Rivers into a medically-induced coma until they were “comfortable with her condition.”

On Sunday, it was announced that Joan Rivers would begin to be brought out of her coma, a slow process that wasn’t completed until Tuesday.

Doctors were uncertain as to what sort of lingering effects Joan Rivers would experience as no one knew exactly how long the legendary comic had been without oxygen between the time she experienced cardiac arrest to the time she was artificially introduced to oxygen. A matter of four to six minutes deprived of air is enough to cause severe damage to the parts of the brain that control motor function.

A source close to the family commented that they didn’t know if Rivers would be wheelchair-bound, if and when, she came out of the coma or if her mental status would be severely impinged.

Joan Rivers’ daughter, Melissa, released a statement on Saturday saying that the family was “keeping their fingers crossed” and hoped that the public would pray for her mother.

On Wednesday, Rivers was moved out of Mount Sinai Hospital’s ICU and placed into a private room, according to the New York Daily News, though there was no report as to whether or not Joan was still on life support.

The clinic where Joan Rivers received her surgery, Yorkville Endoscopy, has now come under scrutiny. Though no surgery is “routine” when it comes to an 81-year-old patient, the procedure Rivers was receiving was said to be just that. Joan reportedly did a stand-up show the evening before (Wednesday), and she had numerous stand-up gigs scheduled for November across the country. Questions have also arisen over whether or not the procedure Joan received should have been done on an outpatient basis for a woman of her age.

New York State Health Department Officials have said that they are reviewing Yorkville Endoscopy, but they have not started an “official investigation.” The review could reportedly take weeks or even months, and they are looking at the clinic as a whole and not at the particular doctor that performed Joan Rivers’ procedure.

UPDATE

Sadly, the legendary comedienne, Joan Rivers passed away at age 81 earlier today (Thursday, September 4th, 2014) at Mount Sinai Hospital. Read the Inquisitr’s report here.

image via Breitbart