Doctor defends procedure to block pregnancy

The method used in a botched operation to clip the tubes of a woman who later became pregnant was less likely to fail than any other, the High Court at Blenheim heard yesterday.

The woman, who became pregnant after having her tubes clipped in 1999 and gave birth to a girl with Down syndrome, is suing her former doctor and her health board.

The woman, who can be identified only as Patient A, is seeking to recover the costs from the doctor and the health board he works for of bringing up her daughter, claiming she was not properly informed before the operation.

The doctor and health board also have interim name suppression.

The doctor at the centre of the allegations - dubbed Doctor C by the court - said global studies had shown the clip used in the woman's operation, the Filshie clip, was three to four times less likely to fail than any other method.

He said a global study showed the method failed for only five patients per 1000 over a 10-year period, compared with an average of 18.5 failures per 1000 using other methods.

Under cross-examination by Quentin Davis, acting for the plaintiff, Doctor C insisted he was always meticulous when discussing the operation and its chances of failure.

He disputed Mr Davis' claim that his use of the term "irreversible" to describe the nature of the operation would lead to someone mistakenly thinking there was no chance the operation could fail.

"The main point to be made is when they leave the room, they understand there is a failure rate, that is what I try to convey in various ways. It is not rocket science," Doctor C said.

One of the nurses who worked with Doctor C said he was well known for being pedantic about the information he gave to patients.

"It is my experience that nurses are often required to fill in gaps in a patient's knowledge about the procedures but we have never had to do that with [Doctor C]."

The hearing, before Justice David Baragwanath, is expected to finish today.

- NZPA