Dr. Joan Frisoli, MD

After open heart surgery I had two aspirations performed by Dr Frisoli in the hospital as fluid had collected around my heart and lungs. I dreaded this procedure but with Dr. Frisoli’s gentle explanation and performance I hardly felt the procedure the first time. So the second experience was unremarkable and pleasant.

I accompanied my mother for a aspiration of ascites, when Dr. Frisoli, who was 25 minutes late, began her procedure -I asked if she was going to use the ultrasonographer who is standing beside the table she responded I don’t need the ultrasound I know exactly where I’m going with the needle.” She placed the needle into my mother’s abdomen and nothing happened ie. the aspiration bottle remained empty. She then repeated the insertion and filled 3 liters of as cites.The original procedure actually punctured my mothers intestine she was in acute pain that night with sepsis and died three weeks later this could’ve been avoided had she adhered to the ultrasound. The response from the hospital was that my mothers ovarian cancer spontaneously punctured the intestine the very night of the procedure and that it had nothing to do with malpractice. I lodged a letter of complaint describing what had happened to my mother at the time and the hospital forged a unified response of denial.