Dr. Paul DeLeeuw Tells the Story of the Time He Saved a Life and Later Came to Regret It

It is a well-known fact that doctors are governed by a code of ethics. They take the Hippocratic Oath to uphold specific ethical standards, which include the principles of medical confidentiality and non-maleficence. But Dr. Paul DeLeeuw, who has worked as an anesthesiologist and bariatrician since 1978, recalls a time that he “saved a life, but came to regret it.”

As Dr. Paul DeLeeuw remembers, the incident occurred in 1984 or 1985, when he was practicing anesthesia at a large hospital in South Florida. The hospital was excelling, but he and his coworkers felt constantly “under siege” due to the influx of bold personal injury malpractice lawyers anxiously awaiting any surgical mishap.

Stories of multi-million dollar awards abounded, many for outcomes that could not be avoided. It was a stressful time to be working in surgery.

Another anesthesiologist asked Dr. Paul DeLeeuw, “If you had a personal injury lawyer on the table in distress, would you save him?”

Dr. Paul DeLeeuw thought for a while and decided, “Yes, I probably would. Don’t see what else I could do.” He then joked, “maybe he’ll give me some of that award money!”

What he thought of as a hypothetical question and mildly humorous response ended up foreshadowing a very specific event that would soon occur.

On an evening not long after, Dr. Paul DeLeeuw and his wife attended a show at The Coconut Grove Playhouse. The show did not begin on time, and the audience waited patiently. 

“Then, from behind us in the main seating gallery, someone shouted, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?!?’” Dr. Paul DeLeeuw details. “We squirmed uncomfortably. If this was part of the show, it was going to be corny as hell. ‘Is there a doctor in the house?!?’ was repeated again.”

But when Dr. Paul DeLeeuw stood up and looked back towards the theater, he saw a middle-aged man slumped over his seat.

A younger man beside him was waving his arms frantically. Dr. Paul DeLeeuw made his way through the now-crowded aisle and dragged the older man’s limp body into the aisle and laid him down.

Dr. Paul DeLeeuw determined that the man was in cardiac arrest, and he immediately began resuscitation attempts while his wife called 911. He was still performing mouth-to-mouth when the paramedics arrived on the scene. The paramedics laid out airway management tools and were appreciative of the anesthesiologist on-site.

“One paramedic continued to pump on the chest while I intubated his airway and used an AMBU bag to administer oxygen,” Dr. Paul DeLeeuw continues. “‘Let’s shock him,’ I said and we did. Immediately his heart began to beat. I ordered IV lidocaine and we sent the man, now beginning to move about, to the hospital.”

Genuinely interested in the man’s recovery, Dr. Paul DeLeeuw looked up what hospital the man was in and went to visit the next day. The older gentleman was sitting up in bed, alert, and breathing nasal oxygen. The younger man from the night before was also there and was introduced as his son.

“The son said to me, ‘Both my father and I are malpractice plaintiff lawyers. I guess there are a few good doctors still out there,’” indicating his approval of Dr. Paul DeLeeuw’s efforts. “He smiled and handed me an envelope. ‘This is for you.’ I opened it. Inside were half a dozen business cards. The son leaned over towards me and smiled unctuously. ‘If you ever see any malpractice in surgery, let us know. We’ll cut you in for a percentage.’”

Unfortunately, even as doctors uphold their own ethical practices, many other industries have strayed from ethics altogether in favor of following the dollar signs. For Dr. Paul DeLeeuw, who was raised by a father he described as having an “unalterable drive to do the right thing,” he was especially discouraged by this experience.

In the many years since he unknowingly saved that malpractice attorney, Dr. Paul DeLeeuw continues to abide by the highest standards of ethics and morality.

He has worked to stay at the top of his field and current with all medical advancements while working collaboratively with his peers. He has held the positions of Chief of Anesthesia at Cedars Medical Center and Director of Anesthesia Services at Riverwalk Surgery Center.

In addition to his impactful work as a physician, Dr. Paul DeLeeuw believes in giving back to his community and actively participating in philanthropy. At Beth Israel Synagogue, DeLeeuw delivers meals, brings care packages to shut-ins, and provides rides to services for persons who are unable to drive.

He has also donated more than 500 hours to Loaves and Fishes, providing meals to those in need. Dr. Paul DeLeeuw has also given more than 600 hours to Learning Ally, a nonprofit that provides books to persons who are blind or dyslexic, as well as kids who require academic assistance.

Dr. Paul DeLeeuw has spent much of his life minimizing pain and discomfort for people in his community, both through his work as a doctor and through his community outreach efforts. The malpractice lawyers that he met at The Coconut Grove Playhouse would have been hard-pressed to find a less likely candidate to assist them in ruining another doctor’s career and life.

Similar Stories