A doctor accused of botching three liposuction ope
A doctor accused of botching three liposuction operations today (Weds) admitted he was wrong to carry out the procedure on a woman who later contracted a flesh eating disease.
Thomas Norton said the 18 stone patient did not tell him she was having surgery to lose weight for medical reasons.
He told the General Medical Council he has since learned the operation should not have been carried out.
Norton is said to have left three patients in agony as they woke up during operations performed at a Transform clinic.
It is claimed Norton failed to properly anaesthetise them and a left one woman disfigured.
The hearing was told a 58-year-old patient, known as Mrs P, developed the deadly flesh eating bug after having the surgery.
Dr Norton today told the hearing patients were warned they would feel some discomfort during the procedure but denied he bungled the operations.
He said he should not have carried out liposuction on Mrs P because of her age and weight.
‘Retrospectively this lady was probably unsuitable for liposculpture and now I would not dream of carrying out the procedure without an anaesthetist present,’ he explained.
‘But the whole procedure went without event and Mrs P handled it extremely well.
‘There were no problems through the procedure to make me feel she had anything other than the slight discomfort I described to her before doing the liposuction.
‘
Dr Norton claimed he told Mrs P she might feel ‘lumpiness’ following the operation but said he could never have guessed she would contract necrotising fasciitis because he had never come across the condition before.
Dr Norton said: ‘I would have said to her there could be some level of discomfort while it was being carried out but we would try to keep it to a minimum.
‘Even though she was sedated we would be talking to her throughout the procedure.
‘
Dr Norton operated on the patients at Transform clinics in Wakefield, Yorks and Altrincham, Manchester.
They paid thousands of pounds for the treatment but claim Norton blundered during the procedures.
Dr Norton of the Homestead Clinic, Homestead Drive, Wakefield, denies serious professional misconduct.
The hearing continues
ends
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