Missing history of Abdominal TB before hernia repair: Delhi Surgeon suspended for 30 days by medical council

No orders were made by the DMC against Max Hospital. Presently, the medical practitioner is no more associated with the hospital, who was a visiting consultant surgeon back then.

New Delhi: Holding that no efforts were made to check on the medical history of a patient who was earlier operated for abdominal TB and placing a mesh in the patient with active TB, the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) has suspended a surgeon from practicing medicine for a period of one month after the patient died due to medical negligence.

As per recent media accounts, the case relates to a 46-year-old female patient who was admitted in Max Hospital, Saket in 2016 after she complained of severe pain in her abdomen. The doctor advised her to go for an operation in order to repair her hernia. Surgery was conducted and the medical practitioner placed a mesh to prevent the hernia from protruding again. Thereafter, the patient was discharged.

However, a couple of days later, the patient experienced acute pain and was rushed to the hospital once again. Another surgery was conducted by the doctors and she was put in an Intensive Care Unit and was even placed in Ventilator. The patient was treated for 5 long months in three different hospitals, however, she passed away.

Alleging negligence, the family of the patient filed a complaint with the council.

During the hearing of the entire matter, the council noted that the deceased had developed an inflammation of the membrane lining the abdominal wall as a result of perforation and there were free fluid and faecal matter in the abdominal cavity. During the second surgery, the abdominal cavity was cleaned out and a drain was placed.

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The council held the doctor negligent for missing out on the history of abdominal TB,

..No efforts were made by the doctor to check whether the patient had active abdominal tuberculosis (TB). Moreover, a mesh should not be used in patients with active TB,.. the council added.

HT quotes the DMC order as reading;

"The patient had positive history of TB. There was no clear evidence of the patient having received a full course of anti-TB treatment. No attempt was made by the operating surgeon to find out if the patient was suffering from active tuberculosis or the after effects of the same."

Subsequently, the council ordered to bar the doctor from practising medicine for a period of 30 days and remove his name from the state medical register for one month.

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Commenting on the DMC order, the accused doctor has denied any lapse.

"This is only an allegation and there was no wrongdoing on my part. There was no lapse. She had been diagnosed with TB in 2009 and had received her treatment," the doctor as quoted by HT.