KEY POINTS:
A surgeon accused of misconduct for allegedly bungling breast-reduction surgery will face a three-day disciplinary hearing at Napier next month.
The surgeon - who has been given interim name suppression - performed a breast reduction on a woman on February 15, 2005, but failed to provide her with "adequate information", the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal says.
The prosecution will claim he did not tell his obese patient that the Lejour vertical mammoplasty he used was not a suitable technique for her and that there were alternative procedures available.
Documents on the tribunal website said she was not told more tissue might die or have to be cut off after the initial operation, or that it was possible she would be unable to breast-feed.
It was alleged that when tissue in the woman's breast began dying after the operation, the surgeon did not tell her the cause of problem, the likelihood she would end up with a misshapen breast and lose her nipple, could need hospitalisation to treat the infection, or that antibiotics might not work and that a new operation might be needed.
A staff member at the tribunal said today the hearing was scheduled for June 6, with the interim suppression to continue until the conclusion of the hearing.
- NZPA
