Surgical-error victim dies at 52

Jeffrey Girtz, 52, one of two patients featured in a July 18 news story about surgical mistakes, died Tuesday at his home.

Girtz’s family believes his death may have been caused by an adrenal crisis, the indirect result of surgeries that removed both his adrenal glands, said his sister, Sandra Duncan.

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday by the Spokane County medical examiner’s office. Results of lab tests to determine the cause of death won’t be available until mid-September, a medical examiner’s spokeswoman said.

A visitation will be held today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Riplinger Funeral Home, 4305 N. Division St. in Spokane. A funeral service will be held on Monday at 1 p.m. at Crossover Church, 16825 N. Newport Highway. The Rev. Terry Little will officiate.

Last year, Girtz, a Spokane real estate agent, found out he had a tumor on one of his adrenal glands. A surgeon removed the wrong one on July 28, 2003, causing Girtz to need a second surgery.

With both adrenal glands removed, Girtz faced a lifetime of taking hormones. He suffered headaches, insomnia, fatigue and nausea.

He also carried an emergency kit containing a steroid injection to counteract a possible adrenal crisis. Such an attack could be caused by the body’s lack of the hormones the adrenal glands normally produce.

A symptom of his condition was darkened skin, which made him look tanned and healthy.

“Friends say, ‘Man, you look great,’ ” Girtz told the newspaper earlier this month. “I’m angry because I never feel good.”

Girtz had hired Spokane attorney Stephen Haskell, who had been negotiating a possible out-of-court settlement with the doctors and hospital involved. No lawsuit had been filed. This week, Haskell declined to comment on the case. In previous interviews, Girtz and his attorney would not name the hospital and doctors involved.

“I’m very sorry for the family,” Haskell said. “I hope this was not the product of an adrenal problem, but at this point we don’t know.”

Girtz was a lifetime resident of Spokane. He is survived by his wife, Jane Girtz; son, Jeffrey W. Girtz Jr., and grandchildren Caleb, Jordyn, Nikkolas and Emily Girtz, all of Rochester, Minn.; two brothers, Michael and Patrick Girtz, both of Spokane; two sisters, Sally Bausch, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Sandra Duncan, of Spokane; mother, JoAnn Tagriello, of Spokane; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Girtz was a member of Crossover Church and the Spokane Association of Realtors.