A Florida gastroenterologist was recently reprimanded after two botched colonoscopies, including at least one in which the doctor wasn’t wearing a hearing aid and missed the screams of a patient who wasn’t properly sedated.
Dr. Ishwari Prasad, 84, was placed on probation by the Florida Medical Board for a botched surgery, according to an administrative complaint from the Florida Department of Health. USA Today.
Both colonoscopies were performed at the Tampa Outpatient Surgery Center on June 5 of last year.
In the first incident, Prasad allegedly “improperly delegated” medical duties to a surgical technician who did not have a medical license, according to the lawsuit.
The technicians were instructed by Prasad to perform “at least one” task from a list, including inserting a scope, manipulating the scope, manipulating the instrument over the polyp or tissue, and removing the polyp or tissue.
During the second problematic colonoscopy that day, Prasad began inserting the scope before the patient was fully sedated, causing the patient to scream in pain, according to the lawsuit.
“[Prasad] Did not stop the proceedings immediately when it became clear [the patient] “The physician was not fully sedated,” the lawsuit states, which is why he did not hear the patient scream.
Citing the emergency restriction order passed by Prasad in September last year, Miami Herald They reported that the sedation problems were due to problems with the patient’s IV lines.
“[The patient] “Dr Prasad began screaming that he was in pain and still could not feel anything,” according to the order, seen by The Herald. [the patient] I kept screaming.
The media also reported that during the second operation, a hospital administrator in the room told Dr Prasad to wait, while the doctor continued to operate the scope while leaning over the patient and shouting, “I know!”
During the investigation into the incident, the surgical technician revealed that he routinely assists doctors with various medical tasks during colonoscopies that are beyond the scope of his training, explaining that the reason for this is “because Dr. Prasad is unable to perform them himself.”
The emergency order states she told investigators she “pushed the scope, held the scope, cut the polyp, placed the clips, removed and pulled the specimen.”
Prasad, who received his Florida medical license in 1990, was fined $7,500 and must pay an additional $6,301 in court costs.
Conditions of his suspension include taking five hours of continuing medical education classes by Aug. 7 next year.
During his probation, Prasad will not be allowed to perform any medical procedures independently until he undergoes a competency review and evaluation or performs 10 gastroenterological procedures under the supervision of another physician and then makes a recommendation to the committee overseeing his probation.
