After the death of Joan Rivers, during an outpatient procedure on her vocal chords, questions soon arose regarding the nature of her death. It soon became apparent that mismanagement of a sedative administered prior to the procedure, may have contributed to the cardiac arrest which led to Rivers’ death. Now, daughter Melissa Rivers is filing a medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit against the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic and all the doctors involved in the treatment.
The lawsuit is expected to contend that the doctors involved in the procedure did not properly manage the dosage of the sedative Propofol, which was administered prior to the procedure. Cardiac is a risk associated with sedative use, and this risk is higher as the age of the patient increases. Though Rivers was reportedly in good health, she was 81 at the time of the procedure. Rivers will be represented by the Manhattan firm Gair, Gair, Conason, Steigman, Mackauf, Bloom & Rubinowitz.