Thomas R. Bernik, MD

GERIATRIC FAILURE! Fiction writer! Callous, cold and arrogant. Rode in like a cowboy to Beth Israel Petrie emergency on ¹⁰⁄₃₁ to diagnose my 84 year old father. No patient rights given to us at this disorganized emergency room, but this is not about Beth Israel. My dear father, top of the pops, #1 Mets fan, Queens kid, old school, warm, funny, kind. with a pulse, heartbeat and a smile (his famous expression) was sent to meet with the“chief of vascular surgery.“Bernik arrived on his horse as cavalier as could be. A brief check of my dad-​a piece of cake my father, and asked him if he had any pain from the aneurysms they found yesterday. My father was cared for very compassionately in life by Dr Merlotte, Dr Bohmart and Dr Marrens and Elizabeth Orem (np).
Two cat scans and the diagnosis– aneurysms– a death sentence or we could go in through the groin endovascularly and the RISK is dialysis.
Death or dialysis!
Discussion of risks– did not take place
Accurate diagnosis did not take place– he failed to mention the big aneurysm was contained
No explanation of dialysis
No discussion of length of surgery
No asking my dad did he understand any of this or want to think about the surgery
No liasoning with dads Dr. s as I thought would happen
Quality of life, HOSPICE– not discussed
Two minute consultation,
One more two minute briefing before surgery– we will try to save the kidneys said the doc.
Nine hours later– my father was on dialysis, gall bladder infection, SEPSIS, lung problems, necrotic toes.
The callous MD stated after surgery that he accomplished what he set out to do which had my dad lived he would have been toeless wheeled around in a nursing home.
Two days after surgery as my dad lay intubated Bernik flew off to a conference in Florida.
After some hopes were dimmed, my father survived surgery miraculously, but was puzzled as to what was going on– heartbreaking. He thought he would get better. He just wanted to go to his place and lay down
I have to say the nurses at the SCICU were great, smart, but also puzzled at the outcome of the surgery. Before surgery my dad talked it up withe the wonderful SCICU staff.
My dad ultimately succumbed to the brutalization of this surgery and unthinkable lack of ethics of the doctor. He passed away on 11÷21÷14.
The final insult was the lie written in the doctor’s narrative in the patient records stating that we had lengthy discussions– a total LIE and discussed the likelihood of dialysis also a LIE!
Risk vs likelihood– Thomas check your dictionary!
Lengthy vs brief– also in the dictionary
My dearest dad grew up in Jamaica Queens where his family owned a candy store like our former governor, but unlike Mr Cuomo, my dad was a regular Joe and was not offered hospice in home like Mario– tragic! The chance to die with dignity was not given. A caregivers bill of rights is in the works for NYS– if some hospitals train their doctors to get to knew patients and their families not just send them to surgery because it fits in the doctor’s schedule. Hospice should have been offered! It was beyond unkind care to do this to my dad. Had we had a compassionate doctor who outlined the real risks and properly informed us, my father might have lived to see the world a little longer.