This week the national media is covering the story of an airman who experienced a bad outcome after a routine laproscopic surgery at Travis Air Force Base. A comprehensive account of the tragedy authored by Mark Norris was published in The Dallas Morning News:

What should have been a routine medical procedure has turned into a life-threatening ordeal for Airman Colton Read and his family.

The 20-year-old graduate of Arlington's Sam Houston High School was supposed to have laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, but shortly into the procedure a young doctor accidentally nicked the aorta, located in the deepest part of the abdomen, his family said.

The resulting blood loss led to partial amputation of both of Read's legs, and complications have left him in critical condition.

It looks like the family(?) has set up a blog where they have a day-by-day and hour-by-hour description of the events.

Comment: This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the patient, his family and healthcare team including the physicians involved in the surgery. No one wants this type of situation to happen. We hope something can be learned and some good can come form this. In recent months and years, there has been a lot of focus on mental health. Is it time to focus in on the surgery community?