Who Can I Trust? Ensuring Physician Competence

AbstractGwyneth Vives, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, suffered a complication and bled to death 3 hours after giving birth to a healthy boy in 2001. It was 4 days before Christmas. Vives suffered a vaginal tear and other lacerations during the delivery that caused profuse bleeding. Her obstetrician, Pamela Johnson, was sued for failure to order a blood transfusion for Vives as well as abandonment since she had turned over repair of the vaginal tear to a midwife. Two other patients also sued Johnson. Jean Challacombe alleged that Johnson tore her bowel and uterus while doing a dilation and curettage the same day Vives died. Tanya Lewis accused Johnson of doing an unnecessary hysterectomy.