Fragile egos, obese patients and talking organs: A surgeon's view of what happens under the scalpel Updated December 31, 2011 "Get this thing out of my operating room!" The colon stapling device exploded into pieces when I hurled it against the operating room wall. I was fed up with its failure to work as advertised by the manufacturer. The stapler had probably cost less than $100 to make. The hospital paid $300 for it (and then billed the patient, or insurance company, $1,200).
