Austrian Surgeon Allegedly Allows Teenage Daughter to Participate in Skull Surgery

[Social Media]

 

A shocking case has emerged from Austria, where a surgeon is accused of allowing his teenage daughter to participate in a critical surgical procedure on a patient. The incident, which has drawn significant attention and outrage, reportedly occurred in January following a severe accident in a forest.

 

The 33-year-old male patient had been involved in a forestry accident and was airlifted to Graz University Hospital in Styria, southeastern Austria, with serious head injuries. Due to the severity of his condition, the patient required immediate emergency surgery. However, what unfolded in the operating room that day is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Graz public prosecutor's office.

 

According to Kronen Zeitung, an Austrian newspaper, the surgeon allegedly permitted his 13-year-old daughter to take part in the surgery, a procedure that should have been performed by trained and qualified professionals only. The newspaper reported that the teenage girl even drilled a hole in the patient's skull, a task that demands precision, expertise, and a profound understanding of human anatomy.

 

Although the operation reportedly proceeded without any immediate complications, the ramifications have been far-reaching. The patient, who has been left unable to work since the incident, only became aware of the situation months later. The victim was initially oblivious to the fact that a teenage girl had been involved in his surgery. It wasn't until April that an anonymous complaint was lodged with the public prosecutor's office, bringing the allegations to light. Shockingly, it took until July for the patient to be informed by police that he was the individual involved in the case.

 

The gravity of the situation has led to the dismissal of the surgeon and another employee, a specialist who was present during the operation. The decision to allow an unqualified individual, particularly a minor, to participate in such a critical medical procedure has sparked widespread condemnation.

 

The alleged victim’s lawyer, Peter Freiberger, expressed his client's disbelief and outrage over the situation. "You lie there. Unwilling, unconscious, and become guinea pigs. There's probably no other way to put it... that's not possible. You can't do that," Freiberger stated, reflecting the deep sense of violation felt by the patient. He emphasized that responsibility for this incident extends to everyone present during the surgery, pointing out that the hospital has not reached out to the patient following these revelations. "There was no contact, no explanation or apology, nothing. That is simply undignified," Freiberger added, highlighting the hospital's lack of accountability and communication.

 

Medical professionals have also voiced their disbelief at the situation. Manfred Bogner, a specialist in trauma surgery, expressed his astonishment that a child was allowed to perform such a delicate and dangerous procedure. "An operating theatre belongs to people who have a job to do there and no one else," Bogner said, stressing the sanctity and professionalism required in a surgical environment. He further remarked, "And a child should not be given a drill and allowed to drill away at the bone of a seriously injured person."

 

The case has raised serious questions about medical ethics, patient safety, and the responsibilities of healthcare professionals. The fact that the alleged victim had to learn about his own involvement in such a case through the media and later through police notification underscores the gravity of the breach of trust. The ongoing investigation by the public prosecutor's office is expected to shed more light on how such an egregious lapse in judgment could occur and what systemic failures may have contributed to it.

 

Graz University Hospital, where the incident took place, has yet to issue a public statement regarding the allegations. The lack of communication from the hospital has further fueled public concern and anger, as many question how such an incident could have been allowed to happen in a reputable medical institution.

 

As the investigation continues, the medical community and the public at large are left grappling with the implications of this disturbing case. The involvement of a minor in a surgical procedure raises profound ethical questions and highlights the need for strict adherence to professional standards in healthcare. The outcome of this case may well set a precedent for how similar situations are handled in the future, and it underscores the importance of protecting patients' rights and safety above all else.

 

Credit: Sky News 2024-08-28

 

 

 

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[thaibeachlovers]

Given I have actually worked in a surgical theatre, something does not make sense here.

 

Either it's not true or there is more to the story not being told.

 

The surgeon is just one person involved, and the person actually in control of a surgical theatre is the nurse in charge, not the surgeon, plus there had to be an anesthetist ( a doctor ), an anesthetic tech or nurse, a nurse runner, the scrub nurse, and one or more surgical assistants ( doctors ), plus the X ray tecnician. Either all of them were in agreement, or the surgeon was able to force them all to accept his daughter participating. 

 

To me, the idea that a surgeon could just bring his 13 year old child and insert her into the operation with the staff present putting their own careers at risk ( they would be liable for participating in an illegal operation ) by colluding is laughable.

 

However, as I only know what has been presented on this thread, I accept that something diabolical was allowed to happen, for reasons unknown to myself.

[thaibeachlovers]

PS. It's entirely possible that the child was allowed to be present in the theatre as an observer, but not allowed anywhere near the operating table. Even I would have no objection to that.

[klauskunkel]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Given I have actually worked in a surgical theatre, something does not make sense here.

 

Either it's not true or there is more to the story not being told.

 

The surgeon is just one person involved, and the person actually in control of a surgical theatre is the nurse in charge, not the surgeon, plus there had to be an anesthetist ( a doctor ), an anesthetic tech or nurse, a nurse runner, the scrub nurse, and one or more surgical assistants ( doctors ), plus the X ray tecnician. Either all of them were in agreement, or the surgeon was able to force them all to accept his daughter participating. 

 

To me, the idea that a surgeon could just bring his 13 year old child and insert her into the operation with the staff present putting their own careers at risk ( they would be liable for participating in an illegal operation ) by colluding is laughable.

 

However, as I only know what has been presented on this thread, I accept that something diabolical was allowed to happen, for reasons unknown to myself.

I agree with you assessment,

but there is one thing even more puzzling: 

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

It wasn't until April that an anonymous complaint was lodged with the public prosecutor's office, bringing the allegations to light.

Graz University Hospital, where the incident took place, has yet to issue a public statement regarding the allegations.

The Hospital had 5 months to clarify, explain, refute, deny... that they did not basically means they can't spin it favorably.

[newbee2022]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Given I have actually worked in a surgical theatre, something does not make sense here.

 

Either it's not true or there is more to the story not being told.

 

The surgeon is just one person involved, and the person actually in control of a surgical theatre is the nurse in charge, not the surgeon, plus there had to be an anesthetist ( a doctor ), an anesthetic tech or nurse, a nurse runner, the scrub nurse, and one or more surgical assistants ( doctors ), plus the X ray tecnician. Either all of them were in agreement, or the surgeon was able to force them all to accept his daughter participating. 

 

To me, the idea that a surgeon could just bring his 13 year old child and insert her into the operation with the staff present putting their own careers at risk ( they would be liable for participating in an illegal operation ) by colluding is laughable.

 

However, as I only know what has been presented on this thread, I accept that something diabolical was allowed to happen, for reasons unknown to myself.

I agree. 

It sounds like a story out of medieval times: when I started practicing my skills after my first medical exam my Prof was considered as a God in white. He was the boss in the ring despite any existing rules. He got his own.

This has changed to the better. As Thaibeachlover mentioned there is a team in the there

 And after any operation there is a protocol to be signed and all participants and their role are stated. Also about incidents.

Unless this document is not published - the girls name would be on it - I have my doubts. 😳

[animalmagic]

Wow!  Home schooling has gone a bit far in Austria.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

The Hospital had 5 months to clarify, explain, refute, deny... that they did not basically means they can't spin it favorably.

Perhaps they didn't know about it till it was in the newspaper.

Nothing about it makes sense to me as it just could not have happened in any surgery I took part in. I had no problem making a fuss if I thought anything was wrong, and I even had a standardised form of my own devising to report anything wrong to management. Had it been in a theatre I worked in it would not have been an anonymous report to a newspaper. My responsibility as a nurse was to the patient, not to the surgeon.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

my Prof was considered as a God in white. He was the boss in the ring despite any existing rules. He got his own.

Certainly didn't happen after I started nursing, but I'm aware of the bad old days.

Only time I experienced it was as a patient in a Thai hospital when a nurse followed the Dr around like she was his flunkey.

 

A slightly amusing incident happened that I'm aware of from before my time in the UK. A nurse from the Antipodes went to work in a British hospital, and at tea break was asked by the Drs to make them a cup of tea. Being a Kiwi or an Aussie ( I don't remember which ) she told them to go make their own. Now that did not go down well at all, and in revenge the Drs stopped paying for the biscuits that they had been providing for tea break.

 

Happily, by the time I started working in a British surgical theatre complex, even the consultants made their own cup of tea.

[newbee2022]

26 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Certainly didn't happen after I started nursing, but I'm aware of the bad old days.

Only time I experienced it was as a patient in a Thai hospital when a nurse followed the Dr around like she was his flunkey.

 

A slightly amusing incident happened that I'm aware of from before my time in the UK. A nurse from the Antipodes went to work in a British hospital, and at tea break was asked by the Drs to make them a cup of tea. Being a Kiwi or an Aussie ( I don't remember which ) she told them to go make their own. Now that did not go down well at all, and in revenge the Drs stopped paying for the biscuits that they had been providing for tea break.

 

Happily, by the time I started working in a British surgical theatre complex, even the consultants made their own cup of tea.

I remember those times.

My story dated back to 1971 🤗. It was the time when I visited in evening hours off duty my ward with all those meniscus cases, happened to many players in Premier League. We sat together and drank some beers. The good old days.....are over.

[BusyB]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Certainly didn't happen after I started nursing, but I'm aware of the bad old days.

Only time I experienced it was as a patient in a Thai hospital when a nurse followed the Dr around like she was his flunkey.

 

A slightly amusing incident happened that I'm aware of from before my time in the UK. A nurse from the Antipodes went to work in a British hospital, and at tea break was asked by the Drs to make them a cup of tea. Being a Kiwi or an Aussie ( I don't remember which ) she told them to go make their own. Now that did not go down well at all, and in revenge the Drs stopped paying for the biscuits that they had been providing for tea break.

 

Happily, by the time I started working in a British surgical theatre complex, even the consultants made their own cup of tea.

 

It's only a few months ago a god in white was struck off in the UK. He'd been the head bogwallah in a transplant unit - he signed his initials in patients livers with a laser that he'd just inserted into them. Feared and revered. It went on for years.

I hear what you're saying in your posts, but a lot of the staff worry about the power of these people to affect their careers. That's why the complaint was made anonymously some time after the incident.

The fact that the hospital has kept below the parapet tells its own story. Something's gone terribly wrong beyond just allowing a young observer - which as you say is itself a great thing. And hospitals are great at circling the wagons. Very very reluctant to allow outside inspection as I'm sure you've experienced.

 

The hospital won't want to lose an experienced and valued brain surgeon. At the same time the behavior as it's been reported should see him struck off immediately. Rock and a hard place.

 

Edit: Added last paragraph and removed a less relevant paragraph to keep it shorter.

Edited August 28 by BusyB

[Cameroni]

18 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Either it's not true

Bingo! It's a totally made up story. The Kronen Zeitung is like the Daily Star or the National Inquirer. They just make stuff up. 

[thaibeachlovers]

9 hours ago, BusyB said:

And hospitals are great at circling the wagons. Very very reluctant to allow outside inspection as I'm sure you've experienced.

Happily never happened in all my years in nursing. Perhaps I was lucky. Nursing often goes into dangerous territory for ones future if something went wrong.

 

Eg. When in Saudi I was taken off my regular duty to escort a VIP patient to his home. All I had to do was sit in the ambulance. With us were a paramedic, his personal nurse and his Dr. When I asked the American paramedic why I was there, he said that I was there to be prosecuted if the patient died, as they had to blame someone and I was the scapegoat. Sometimes I despise humanity.