Logo

CNN, TVWeek

Manhattan Clinic Where Joan Rivers Was Treated Disputes Accusations. Source Who Made Accusations Refuses to Back Down

Sep 11, 2014  •  Post A Comment

“The Manhattan clinic where Joan Rivers suffered cardiac arrest disputed a report that it happened during a biopsy of her vocal cords,” CNN reports.

In response the source for the report refuses to back down, TVWeek has learned.

The CNN story reports: “While federal privacy laws limit what medical providers can make public, the statement counters a New York [Daily News] newspaper report quoting an unidentified source saying a doctor made a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ decision ‘to take a scalpel to a polyp-like growth on her vocal cord.’

” ‘A biopsy of the vocal cords has never been performed at Yorkville Endoscopy,’ the clinic’s statement said.”

The CNN report adds, “The clinic statement also seemed to address speculation that her cardiac arrest could have been related to the anesthesia used to sedate Rivers while an endoscope, which is a long, flexible camera, was used to examine her throat.

” ‘General anesthesia has never been administered at Yorkville Endoscopy,’ the statement said. ‘The type of sedation used at Yorkville Endoscopy is monitored anesthesia care. Our anesthesiologists utilize light to moderate sedation.’ ”

TVWeek contacted Don Kaplan of the New York Daily News, who wrote the original story containing the accusations about the Yorkville clinic. We asked whether his source for the story was standing behind the allegations in light of the clinic’s response.

Here’s what Kaplan emailed us:

Yes, our source is standing by the story, as are others who have come forward with the same information.

It is most curious that the clinic’s denial came only after our story was published in print. The clinic and their reps were given all the details about our story, in writing and over the phone, on Tuesday and chose to not offer a denial. Even after the story was posted online Tuesday evening they refused to comment further.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)