Surgeon ‘branded initials on to patient’s liver’
A British surgeon has been suspended over allegations that he branded his initials on to a patient’s liver during surgery.
The initials were reportedly found by a colleague who was carrying out a later operation on the patient and raised the alarm.
A consultant has been sus- pended from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham while its National Health Service Trust carries out an investigation into the claims.
The surgeon is accused of using a beam of argon gas, used for sealing vessels, to sear his initials into the patient’s organ, according to The Sun newspaper.
Experts said that this would leave superficial burns but was not usually harmful.
An source close to the consultant expressed shock at the allegations.
‘‘It is quite astonishing to think someone may have done this’’, the source told The Daily Telegraph.
‘‘I am hoping this is just a mistake. I don’t know what would possess someone to do that to another human being. What gives a person the right to do that to another?
‘‘There should be trust between the two people, although now people may think otherwise about coming to the hospital if the allegations are true.
Joyce Robins, of Patient Concern, said: ‘‘This is a patient we are talking about, not an autograph book.’’
The trust said: ‘‘Following an allegation of misconduct, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has suspended a surgeon while an internal investigation is completed’’.
The General Medical Council in Britain would not comment on whether it was carrying out an investigation into the claims.