Dr S. Aldarondo-- The "S" is for Sociopath…read more
I will cull from PubMed Health and the A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia as well as personal experience for this review:
A person with ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER may:
DISREGARD THE SAFETY OF OTHERS
After I pointed out that my mother's IV had waterlogged her, causing pockets of fluid at the base of her spine, edema throughout her body, and a weight gain from 125 pounds to 144 pounds in less than a week, his team identified that yes, this was an issue. However, 24 hours after this discussion, Aldarondo and his team continued to pump her with MORE fluids.
Thankfully, I was around when the nurse was about to string up another bag of sodium chloride/ potassium chloride. And I said, "HEY!!! What are you doing?!?" I explained that my mother was to stop receiving MORE fluid and was in fact supposed to go on lasix, a diuretic. The nurse said, "Oh, I'll have to check and see if there are any doctors orders for this."
Perhaps if the team had communicated a bit more, my mother wouldn't have developed pleural effusions which led to a persistent cough which exacerbated two lung collapses. Aldarondo is not a good communicator.
Later, as Aldarondo was placing the tube in my mother's lung, he did not wait for her to be completely sedated (as he was supposed to do), as she can recall specific discussions he had with the staff during the procedure, as well as the excruciating pain of the tube crossing over nerve endings during its placement.
BE ABLE TO ACT WITTY, CHARMING/ OFTEN BE ANGRY OR ARROGANT/ MANIPULATE OTHER PEOPLE'S EMOTIONS
The nursing and residents at Florida Hospital South said, "Oh, he's the best pulmonary doctor, and he is great with his patients."
However, the first time I attempted to talk to Aldarondo was via cell phone. (I would often come into the hospital as early as 7AM and stay as late as 8PM with my mother, but it took 2 weeks to see Aldarondo face to face in her room.) The cellphone reception was terrible, and I asked him to repeat himself, but he was very short with me. The second time we spoke was over the cell phone again, this time the reception was clear and I realized that not only does he have a thick accent, but he mumbles and slurs. I asked him to please slow down the rate of his speech and try to be a bit more clear, and he briskly said, "You had the same problem with your phone the last time we spoke." He quickly continued to mumble and got me off the phone as fast as possible.
I mentioned this to the staff, who later told me "it is true... sometimes with some people, he doesn't have a good bedside manner, isn't a good communicator, and he can be rather abrupt."
When I finally met him after 2 weeks, I had made it clear to him that I had definitive questions and concerns. However, I observed as he excessively rubbed my mother's back and "soothingly" responded with "everything is going to be ok" ad nauseum, while blatantly ignoring me. When I pressed a bit regarding the timing of the fluid cessation leading to the effusions and the eventual lung collapse(s), he became visibly agitated, mumbling the methods/ treatments that his team performed (that I already knew), and incessantly repeating, "Is that clear? IS IT CLEAR? I CANNOT make it more clear to you!"
I explained that this was all clear, however I still had questions regarding "Why?" and "How" the complications occurred. In front of his team he shouted, "She got a collapsed lung from the biopsy-- END OF DISCUSSION!!"
Later I talked with the radiologist who performed the procedure, and he confirmed that "She experienced a collapsed lung because of the biopsy, but the cough may have exacerbated it." The team had previously explained to me that the cough was brought about by the pleural effusions, which were brought about by the excessive fluid they neglected to stop providing my mother in time.
MANIPULATE, EXPLOIT, VIOLATE THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS
Aldarondo's demeanor toward my mother changed after he "ended the discussion" with me. One evening, she was using the commode when Aldarondo came into her room. The nurse said, "wait just one second" and he popped his head around the curtain to see her on the commode, saying "Oh." He then ripped open her privacy sheet, gave my mother a look like "how much longer are you going to be on there?" and proceeded to tear the suction tube (that was connected to her lung) out, causing her an immense amount of pain, all while she was trying to use the toilet.
To recap:
1) Aldarondo's team did not stop my mother's fluid treatment until 24 hours after the doctor's order was made. (and only upon my insistence).
2) Mom developed pleural effusions
3) Mom developed a cough secondary to pleural effusions
4) Mom receives lung biopsy (two of them actually)
5) lung collapses (eventually twice)
6) Aldorando ends all discussions.
