Thaindian News

Brisbane, Mar 25(ANI): The Brisbane Supreme Court has been told that one of the surgeries performed by former Indian-origin surgeon Dr. Jayant Patel aka “Dr. Death” had left a patient with his bowel “poking through” his wound.

Doctor Emma Igras, who served as a junior doctor under the guidance of Dr. Patel at the Bundaberg Base Hospital in 2003, gave evidence on the fourth day of the trial.

She described her and Dr Patel’s care of 75-year-old Mervyn Morris, who died on June 14, 2003, three weeks after Dr. Patel removed part of his colon. Dr. Igras said that both of them performed a colonoscopy on Morris on May 2, 2003, to try to discover the cause of persistent rectal bleeding.

However, the procedure failed to discover the source of the bleeding and there was no evidence of cancer, she added.

Despite the operation, bleeding continued and Morris was readmitted to the hospital.

Dr. Igras further said that Dr Patel then decided to remove part of his bowel and install a colostomy bag on May 23, 2003, which the prosecution allege was “the wrong thing to do”.

“He was the wrong doctor for this operation, (Morris) was the wrong patient…an elderly man, with co-morbidities,” The Australian quoted Ross Martin, prosecutor, as having told the court on Monday.

Seven days later, Dr. Patel was forced to operate again on Morris, whose wound had begun to break down.

“Part of the bowel was poking out through the wound,” Dr Igras told the court.

The court also heard that following this second operation, Morris continued to have complications, such as blood in his urine, poor nutrition and possible respiratory problems.

The charges relate to Dr Patel’s time as director of surgery at the Bundaberg Base Hospital between 2003 and 2005.

Earlier, the Court was told that Dr. Patel was disciplined by an American medical body in August 2000 for “gross acts of negligence.” (ANI)