Joan Rivers' personal doctor allegedly snapped a selfie moments before performing an unauthorized biopsy on her, CNN reports. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that Rivers arrived to Yorkville Endoscopy Center on Manhattan's Upper East Side with her entourage, including an ear, nose and throat specialist.
Reportedly, an unplanned biopsy was performed by the doctor, which caused the comedienne's vocal chords to snap shut cutting off her air supply. Rivers went into cardiac and respiratory arrest and was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital. One week after being admitted to Mount Sinai, Rivers died at the age of 81.
According to CNN, a staff member at Yorkville Endoscopy told investigators that the doctor, who was not affiliated with the clinic, took a selfie photo in the procedure room before starting the biopsy. The staff member said the "Fashion Police" cohost was still under anesthesia at the time.
Rivers arrived to the clinic on the morning of Aug. 28 for a scheduled endoscopy with a different doctor, gastroenterologist Dr. Lawrence Cohen. According to reports, Cohen was supposed to check and see why Rivers' voice had gotten raspy. The minor procedure involved the insertion of a camera down the comedienne's throat.
Allegedly, after Cohen said he found "something," Rivers personal doctor - who has not been identified - asked if he could borrow the clinic's tools and perform a biopsy. ABC News previously reported that Rivers had only signed off on an endoscopy, not a biopsy.
"A biopsy like that should only be done in a hospital setting," a source told the Daily News. "If she had been in a hospital when it happened, she might have been OK."
According to CNN, investigators believe Rivers' vocal chords began to swell during the biopsy cutting off her air supply, which led to the comedienne going into cardiac arrest. According to the Daily News, she was already on life support by the time she arrived at Mount Sinai.
Rivers never recovered from the procedure and died a week later, on Sept. 4. Last week, a spokesperson for Yorkville Endoscopy released a statement and denied that an unplanned biopsy had been performed on Rivers.
A day later, the clinic released another statement and said Cohen had been fired and was "not currently performing procedures... nor is he currently serving as medical director."
The source told CNN that Cohen and Rivers' personal doctor have not been accused of wrongdoing by investigators.
