HEADS UP Ethel Easter hid a recording device in her hair.

Ethel Easter went to Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston with the uneasy feeling that the surgeon about to perform her hernia surgery might do something inappropriate, so she slid a small recording device in her hair. The audio she captured reveals a gossiping surgical team that made inappropriate comments about her personality and looks. It also serves as a stark reminder that everyone in the OR must act professionally at all times and fair warning that patients might be listening in on your conversations, even when you think they're not.

Ms. Easter's trepidation began in the clinic when general surgeon Mike Liang, MD, told her she'd have to wait 2 months to get her hernia repaired. She began to cry and told Dr. Liang, "I can't last for 2 months, I can't do this for 2 more months." Dr. Liang then got very abrupt and told her she'd have to wait, "just like everyone else," according to Ms. Easter.

"The surgeon was mean-spirited, nasty and nonchalant," says Quanell X, a community activist who is representing the interests of Ms. Easter. "She hid the recording device in her hair so she'd have proof if something happened."

After Ms. Easter slipped into unconsciousness in the OR, the device captured Dr. Liang remarking, "She's a handful. She had some choice words for us in the clinic when we didn't book her case in 2 weeks, including 'I'm going to call a lawyer and file a complaint.'"

Another male staffer is heard replying, "That doesn't seem like the thing to say to the person who's going to do your surgery."

Later on, a woman remarks, "Always the queen." A man repeats the phrase and says, "I feel sorry for that guy." Ms. Easter claims Dr. Liang made the remark in reference to her husband.

The recording picked up a woman in the OR laughing while saying, "Did you see her belly button?" Ms. Easter says she's self-conscious about that part of her body.

After surgery, a woman is heard saying, "Hello, Precious." A man replies, "Precious, yes. This is Precious over here, saying hi to Precious over there. " Ms. Easter says that's a racist remark that refers to the name of the main character in the 2009 movie about an overweight black teenager who endured mental and physical abuse while growing up in a New York City ghetto. The caregivers then laugh about a reference made to Bill Cosby, but the context surrounding the joke is unclear.

"We're appalled and shocked that doctors, anesthesia providers and nurses behave in that manner when lives are at stake," comments Mr. X. "There needs to be a complete overhaul of the professional standards in the operating room." He says the case is heading toward litigation.

In a letter sent to Ms. Easter on Dec. 7, 2015, Stacey Mitchell, DNP, RN, the administrative director of risk management and patient safety at Harris Health System, which runs Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, says she reminded the OR staff and physicians to be mindful of their comments. She believes no further action by Harris Health is warranted at this time, and also points out that the physicians on the recording are employees of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. John Martinez, a spokesman for Harris Health System, declined to comment further.

Dr. Liang and a spokesman for UT Health did not respond to requests for comment.

Daniel Cook