Surgeon fired after getting hospital cleaner to assist amputation

[Randy]

German surgeon fired after getting hospital cleaner to assist amputation

Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation. Public broadcaster SWR reported Friday that the incident at the Mainz University Hospital, which happened in 2020, didn’t result in any...

apnews.com

BERLIN (AP) — Officials at a hospital in western Germany have expressed regret after it emerged that one of their surgeons got a cleaner to assist in a toe amputation.

Public broadcaster SWR reported Friday that the incident at the Mainz University Hospital, which happened in 2020, didn’t result in any complications to the patient but the doctor has since been fired.

The hospital’s chief executive, Norbert Pfeiffer, said the surgeon wrongly decided to go ahead with the routine procedure even though no qualified assistant was available, SWR reported.

When the patient, who had received a local anesthetic, became restless the doctor asked a nearby cleaner to hold the man’s leg and pass surgical instruments, according to local daily Mainzer Allgemeine Zeitung. The paper reported that the cleaner had no medical experience.

The incident came to light after a hospital manager spotted the cleaner — bloody gauze pads in hand — in the operating theater, it reported.

“This should never have happened,” German news agency dpa quoted Pfeiffer as saying.

Thoughts?

 

[passenger]

 

[MrDawn]

 

[Nebulous]

All he asked the janitor to do was hold the man’s leg and pass surgical instruments. You don't need medical training for that. Also the patient didn't have any complications so there was no harm done.

Now if he asked the janitor to perform the operation himself, that would be a different story, but thats not what happened. The doctor simply saw a co-worker nearby and asked for help. Whats the big deal?

 

[Dee]

I believe this is the proper response.

 

[Bluezone777]

All he asked the janitor to do was hold the man’s leg and pass surgical instruments. You don't need medical training for that. Also the patient didn't have any complications so there was no harm done.

Now if he asked the janitor to perform the operation himself, that would be a different story, but thats not what happened. The doctor simply saw a co-worker nearby and asked for help. Whats the big deal?

If anything had happened during the procedure, the plantiff(patient or patient's family) would sue them into oblivion as any lawyer would look at the case and see an easy payday once it was discovered that an untrained employee acted as an assistant in a field that they were not certified for. As an employee of any company, exposing your employer to potential lawsuits is the quickest way to get fired anywhere. What he did would qualify as carelessly exposing your employer to lawsuits so it was no surprise he was fired for it.

 

[passenger]

If anything had happened during the procedure, the plantiff(patient or patient's family) would sue them into oblivion as any lawyer would look at the case and see an easy payday once it was discovered that an untrained employee acted as an assistant in a field that they were not certified for. As an employee of any company, exposing your employer to potential lawsuits is the quickest way to get fired anywhere. What he did would qualify as carelessly exposing your employer to lawsuits so it was no surprise he was fired for it.

Thank you for your totally logical & accurate explanation; I'm convinced that that is 100% correct.

 

[Nebulous]

If anything had happened during the procedure

Nothing bad happened though.

As an employee of any company, exposing your employer to potential lawsuits is the quickest way to get fired anywhere. What he did would qualify as carelessly exposing your employer to lawsuits so it was no surprise he was fired for it.

Very true! ✅