Doctor Allegedly Took Selfie During Rivers' Surgery

Though there hasn't been any official report on the cause of death of Joan Rivers, who died last month after having throat surgery at the age of 81, a new report from CNN claims the comedian's personal doctor took a selfie in the operating room while Rivers was under anesthesia.

The doctor also allegedly performed a biopsy on her vocal cords without Rivers' prior consent.

Rivers went into cardiac arrest during what was supposed to be a routine throat procedure at the Upper East Side's Yorkville Endoscopy clinic last month.

Yorkville's medical director Dr. Lawrence Cohen, who has been dismissed from his position, was originally thought to be the person who performed the endoscopy on Rivers, but it's now believed Cohen stepped aside to allow her personal doctor to perform the unauthorized biopsy that caused the cardiac arrest, Vulture notes.

It should be noted that Rivers' personal doctor, who has yet to be identified, was reportedly not authorized to practice at the clinic. CNN called the unknown doctor the fashion icon's "personal ear-nose-throat physician."

"Even though you are a licensed physician, you still should have, if you will, the checks and balances to get your approval to practice in that particular place," Dr. Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University's Langone Medical Center, told CNN.

According to CNN's source, investigators say Rivers' vocal cords swelled during the alleged unapproved biopsy, cutting off the flow of oxygen to her lungs, causing the cardiac arrest.

Yorkville issued a statement last week, denying that any vocal cord biopsy was done at the clinic.