Amputation after liposuction surgery: Kerala Medical Board holds no medical negligence by doctors

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major relief to the doctors accused of negligence in a botched liposuction case that led to the amputation of a patient's fingers and toes, a five-member medical panel has concluded that there was no medical negligence on the part of the treating team.

The State-level apex medical board, chaired by the Director of Health Services, had been given the responsibility of examining whether the medical negligence had led to the post-surgery complications and the resultant amputation. It submitted its expert opinion. However, the report has not yet been handed over to the police.

Although the Medical Board has now given a clean chit to the treating doctors, its report has not addressed several aspects of the case. Therefore, the police would directly meet the members of the Apex Medical Body and seek clarifications regarding the same, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kazhakkuttom, who is the inquiry officer in the case, informed The Hindu recently.

Also Read:Kerala: Woman's fingers, toes amputated after botched surgery at private clinic

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the petitioner patient, underwent a fat removal procedure on her lower abdomen at the ‘Cosmetic Hospital’ in Arasummoodu, Kazhakoottam. She was discharged the next day. However, according to a complaint filed by her husband, she soon developed severe fatogue and other alarming symptoms.

Despite informing the attending doctor, she was reportedly only advised to consume salted porridge and water. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and on February 24, she was rushed back to the clinic. Staff at the clinic arranged for her transfer to another private hospital, citing complications, including dangerously low blood pressure. There, she reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest following the procedure, which was conducted in February. She has been on ventilator support ever since.

Consequently, the patient had to seek treatment for more than three weeks at the private hospital. During this time, as a life-saving measure, the treating doctors had to amputate several of the patient's fingers and toes, which had turned gangrenous due to the spread of the infection. It was alleged that a lack of blood flow due to a blocked artery in her left leg eventually led to the loss of movement and necessitated amputation.

Earlier, a district-level medical panel had examined the matter back in May and it had pointed out that the patient, who had developed sudden complications after the surgery, had been kept in the Cosmetiq clinic from 9.30 a.m. on February 24 and was given IV fluids, oxygen, albumin infusion and blood transfusion till 7 p.m. The panel had noted that the patient had been shifted to a higher centre only when her condition worsened, The Hindu has reported.

Accordingly, the District-level panel had held that the patient could have been referred early to a higher centre for further care and treatment.

Later, the State-level panel had been asked to take over the issue as the district-level medical panel could not reach a definitive conclusion "whether the above delay is negligence or not and whether the delay potentially worsened the patient’s condition, resulting in an amputation."

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