Karnataka Medical Council to probe alleged negligence after toddler suffers brain damage during ear surgery
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) has been directed to investigate alleged medical negligence after a 14-month-old boy suffered irreversible brain damage during ear surgery at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
The move follows a report by an expert panel pointing to serious lapses in anaesthesia administration which allegedly led to cardiac arrest and prolonged oxygen deprivation.
According to reports, the child was taken to a private hospital in Nagarabhavi on July 26, 2026, for emergency surgery to repair a deep cut through the full thickness of his ear. During the procedure, the toddler suffered a cardiac arrest in the operation theatre, leaving him with severe brain injury.
An expert panel comprising an anaesthesiologist and a paediatrician from the state-run Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital conducted a detailed inquiry into the incident. While the panel found that the operation theatre was adequately equipped, it raised concerns about the anaesthesiologist’s training in administering anaesthesia to small children.
Describing how the lapse led to oxygen levels plummeting, the report states that the doctor attempted to intubate the child with an uncuffed tube, leading to hypoxia, bradycardia, and eventual cardiac arrest, The Hindu reported.
Hospital records reportedly stated that the cardiac arrest was reversed within seven minutes. However, the expert panel stated in the report that the child’s brain remained deprived of oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes, resulting in severe and irreversible damage. An MRI scan conducted three days later confirmed partial prolonged hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, which occurs when the brain receives insufficient oxygen and blood supply.
After initial resuscitation, the child was shifted to the paediatric intensive care unit at a private hospital in Jayanagar for advanced treatment. Although he has been taken off mechanical ventilation and is medically stable, his neurological condition remains severe. He is unresponsive to verbal commands, has lost his sight, exhibits abnormal posturing associated with severe brain injury and requires tube feeding and ongoing multidisciplinary care.
The Bengaluru Urban District Health Officer (DHO) and the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments (KPME) Grievance Redressal Authority reviewed the expert findings and the parents’ submissions during a hearing on October 8. After the panel findings indicated prima facie medical negligence, the DHO forwarded the case documents to the KMC president on October 12 for further action and disciplinary proceedings.
