Scott Baker, a surgeon who eliminated the patient's healthy kidney, denies breaking the standard of care

South Dakota surgeon Scott Baker admitted that he mistakenly took a healthy kidney from a woman during surgery in Sioux Falls in October 2016. However, the doctor denied having violated standards of care.

According to Argus LeaderOn October 5, 2016, Dena Knapp was supposed to have an adrenal gland and a mass on the surgically removed gland, but she claimed that Baker had instead removed her right kidney in good health.

Knapp claimed that she was not aware of the confusion until she was released from the hospital.

In a lawsuit she filed in August, she alleges that Baker knew the day of the operation that he had not removed the adrenal gland because the pathology department of the ## 147 ## Avera McKennan Hospital had warned him.

Baker reportedly told him on October 7 that he had not heard of any pathology. On October 11, Baker called and informed her that part of the gland was still in her and that he had not gotten everything. Baker advised him to have a second surgery.

Knapp had another operation, but this time she went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to remove the adrenal gland and the mass. She developed kidney disease at stage three after the operations.

In his lawsuit, Knapp stated that Baker had committed professional negligence. His complaint indicated that the erroneous surgery resulted in an incurable progressive disease in his remaining kidney. She also said that she was suffering from pain, depression, fatigue and mental distress.

She also claimed to have incurred more than $ 96,000 and lost $ 42,000 in earnings. She also stated that she was unable to perform many tasks and that she had to rely on alternative services to clean and maintain her home.

In response, Baker and the South Dakota Surgical Institute admitted that the doctor had actually removed the woman's right kidney from Iowa instead of an adrenal gland and associated mass, but denied some of the allegations.

The doctor and the Institute of Surgery stated that they did not violate the standards of care by removing the kidney from the woman, not removing her adrenal gland and not recognizing the mistake. They also denied that the patient had sustained any damage. Baker also stated that Knapp had received the information on the day of the surgery.

"Knapp's medical records also indicated" a very high right adrenal gland ", which was near the large lobe of his liver, according to the accused's response," the Associated Press reported.