A hospital patient died after the surgeon who oper
A hospital patient died after the surgeon who operated on him abandoned him for two days after the operation, the General Medical Council heard today.
(Mon)
Iain Duncan, 33, went under the knife at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in 1995 after complaining of pain to his jaw.
But surgeon Roger Bainton failed to visit Mr Duncan in the days following the operation, the GMC in central London heard.
Within 48 hours Mr Duncan suffered a heart attack and was rushed to intensive care.
And after several months in the unit he died.
Rosalind Foster, counsel for the GMC, told the hearing: ‘This case is about responsibilities of a surgeon.
Essentially it’s his post-operative management which is the subject of criticism.
‘At the heart of this enquiry is his failure to see a patient at all in the post-operative period just short of 48 hours.
That, we suggest, represents a gross failure on any basis.
‘In this case the maintenance of the air way is of crucial importance.
‘
The GMC was told Mr Duncan’s operation at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had been cancelled twice before he was finally admitted on May 21, 1995.
The surgery to correct his jaw was carried out the following day by a team of medics, three of whom were dentists with no medical qualifications.
But following the operation 17-stone Mr Duncan’s face and neck began to swell.
Medical records showed that throughout the night he was complaining of difficulties in breathing, and was given the powerful painkiller morphine after becoming ‘very anxious and uncomfortable.
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Miss Foster said: ‘Mr Duncan had difficulty in breathing and by the following morning was looked at by two members of the surgery team, Mark Burrell and Miles Duncan.
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They were so concerned that they spoke to Mr Bainton, who was conducting a children’s teeth clinic elsewhere in the hospital, who advised them not to administer steroids.
The committee was told that there are no notes made between 8.
30am and 3pm that day.
‘That, we suggest, raised the question of whether this patient was being nursed on a one-to-one basis,’ continued Miss Foster.
Mr Duncan was visited by another doctor later in the day who noticed the swelling and recommended that ice packs be used to take it down.
That doctor assumed Mr Bainton would be back to check on the patient.
But Miss Foster added: ‘In fact Mr Bainton still did not come to review this patient, this being the second post-operative night.
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During the night Mr Duncan grew steadily worse and by the following morning had become ‘increasingly more anxious.
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Further checks revealed that Mr Duncan’s breathing had become ‘laboured’ and he was rushed to intensive care.
Miss Foster continued: ‘There was bleeding around both nostrils and blood trickling down his face.
‘Despite the nature of the operation and despite an agreement by the nursing staff and Mr Bainton, he did not at any time go to review this patient for himself on the afternoon and evening of May 22, or at all on May 23, or until after the (cardiac) arrest on May 24.
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The GMC was told that Mr Bainton later spoke to Mr Duncan’s parents and told them that he had ‘slotted the operation in’ because there had been a vacancy at the theatre.
‘Pressure from the patient or management should never be allowed to interfere with or detract from the standard of care from a doctor,’ said Miss Foster.
‘The patient’s welfare must not be allowed to be compromised due to any other commitment by the doctor.
‘If cover or any other type of care is required it should be provided.
At the heart of this case is a total failure by Mr Bainton to review his patient post-operatively until his collapse.
Mr Bainton, of the Beeches, Keithall, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, denies one charge of serious professional misconduct.
Although he admits much of what happened, Mr Bainton denies being told the patient’s face was swollen, failing to arrange for a colleague to monitor the patient and inadequate management of the case.
The hearing continues and is expected to last three days.
ends
addjaw.
