|
Surgeon struck off following gastric band surgery death |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 |
|
A French surgeon has been struck off the Irish medical register following the death of an Irish woman who had undergone surgery to have a gastric band fitted.
Following the death of Bernadette Reid, Dr. Jerome Manuceau, of Rue Soufflot, Paris, had been suspended from practicing surgery in Ireland. The 48 year old mother of six, who weighed 280 lbs, had undergone keyhole surgery at the Advanced Cosmetic Surgery clinic in Dublin in February 2007. She was due to have a gastric band fitted, in an attempt to lose weight, but the surgeon said he abandoned the surgery after he discovering that she had cancer of the abdomen.
A post mortem conducted on the woman concluded that she had died from a cardiac condition and the coroner recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.
Following the death, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland made an official complain to the Irish Medical Council involving four cases conducted by Dr. Manuceau. The surgeon told the Irish Medical Times,
I was happy working in Ireland. What they did in suspending me was a very bad thing for the patients on whom I operated. Because I am suspended, I cannot go to Dublin to see my patients. It is a very serious matter for doctors to forbid me to give aftercare to my patients. Manuceau, who qualified as a doctor in Marseilles, France, in 1988, registered with the Irish Medical Council in June 2006 and worked in Ireland until August 2007. During this period, he performed surgery on about 300 people, carrying out up to ten operations a day. He continues to perform gastric banding operations in Paris, France.
The Irish Medical Council’s "fitness to practise" committee conducted an inquiry into Manuceau’s conduct on June 4 and 5 2008, and found him guilty of professional misconduct. Following the submission of the committee's report, the Irish Medical Council, at its meeting on July 24 2008, decided to strike Dr. Manuceau off the general register of medical practitioners in Ireland.
|
