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Last May, while operating on an 82-year-old patient, a doctor’s limb was misplaced. He didn’t realize his mistake till 2 days later.
After amputating a patient’s damaged leg, an Austrian surgeon defends himself in court, condemning a defect in the chain of control in the operating room.
Photo d’Illustration / Pixabay
A surgeon was fined in Austria for amputating a patient’s damaged leg, the regional court of Linz (North) said on Wednesday. Seized by prosecutors, the judge found the 43-year-old defendant guilty of “grave negligent injury” who pleaded “human error,” a spokeswoman for example said.
Before the operation in Freistad last May, the doctor marked the 82-year-old patient’s wrong leg and only two days later realized his mistake. The court fined him 2,700 euros, half of which was suspended without explaining how it was calculated. He also offered an award of 5,000 euros in damages to the widow of the patient who had died in the meantime, which had become a civil party.
a call is still possible
The surgeon condemned a defect in the chain of control in the operation theatre. She has since changed clinics and can still appeal the decision. The establishment’s management said in a statement that “the causes and circumstances of this medical error were thoroughly analyzed.” Internal procedures were discussed with the team and training followed.
,AFP,