England Surgeon Operates Patient With Penknife He Used For Lunch

A surgeon cut open a patient’s chest with a Swiss Army penknife, which he had used to cut up his fruit at lunchtime. According to reports, the surgeon took this bizarre step because he couldn’t find a scalpel. The doctor was operating on a man at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton, England when he struggled to find a sterile blade. He shocked his operation theatre colleagues by reaching for his pocket gadget to carve open his patient’s skin. The surgeon and the patient’s identity have not been divulged yet to the public.

Professor Graeme Poston, an expert witness on clinical negligence and a former consultant surgeon told the news portal, “It surprises me and appals me. Firstly, a penknife is not sterile. Secondly, it is not an operating instrument. And thirdly, all the kit must have been there.”

The patient did survive but confidential documents revealed that the doctor’s colleagues were shocked by the risky behaviour. The colleagues felt that the surgeon’s behaviour was questionable. The University Hospitals Sussex insisted that the consultant opted for the penknife because it was an emergency. The hospital authorities admitted that the doctor’s actions were outside normal procedures and should not have been necessary.

A news report investigation has revealed another chilling account of the operations performed by the doctor. The investigation revealed that the same surgeon carried out three supposedly low-risk operations in two months and all three patients died soon after. The hospital trust’s internal investigations admitted that the patients had experienced poor care. The University Hospitals Sussex said it has found common themes for improvement to ensure that their services are as safe as possible.

Its chief executive Dr George Findlay added that the investigations have taken place. As per the chief executive, action was taken whenever necessary to ensure lessons were learned.

The police officers are investigating at least 105 cases of medical negligence at the crisis-hit hospital trust. According to the reports, the cops have been forced to recruit more employees to manage the unusually huge caseload of deadly or dangerous incidents. Police have mentioned that the complexity of this investigation and the number of cases involved implies they are unable to investigate all cases simultaneously.