ronsterm, it probably is. I know two nurses, one ICU and one geriatric. Some of their stories are bizarre. Mostly revolving around doctors who think they know more than nurses about basic care.
But there are many, many instances where surgeons refuse to operate because they feel it is either too dangerous, or the patient would be likely to die soon regardless of whether they operate or not. Nobody can force a surgeon to operate. Some patients just want it done regardless, even if the hope for a good outcome is minimal. A review of all the pre-operation transcripts, if they exist for Patel's case, would be illuminating.
