'Dr. Death’ had 100 percent complication rate inserting catheters, says nurse

`Dr. Death’ had 100 percent complication rate inserting catheters, says nurseBrisbane, Feb. 17: Controversial Indian-born surgeon Dr. Jayant Patel had a 100 per cent complication rate for inserting dialysis catheters, leading to the procedure being outsourced to a private hospital, a Brisbane magistrate's court has heard.

The Australian quoted Bundaberg Base Hospital nurse Robyn Pollock as telling Dr. Patel''s committal hearing that the surgeon had inserted six renal patients'' catheters in the 12 months from August 2003.

"Of those six patients, every one had some kind of problem with their dialysis because of the way their catheter was inserted," Pollock told the court via video link from Bundaberg.

The nurse, the hearing''s 30th witness in six days, said she took the issue to hospital management.

Pollock said a dialysis company then paid for patients to have their catheters inserted at a private Bundaberg hospital.

Patel, 58, is facing 14 charges, including manslaughter, fraud and grievous bodily harm, relating to his time as the hospital''s director of surgery from April 2003 until April 2005.

Bundaberg nurse Toni Hoffman also gave evidence and, surprisingly, was only questioned for 20 minutes.

A whole day had been set aside for Hoffman''s evidence.

The court heard her original statement was more than 200 paragraphs long, but dealt with more patients than the charges related to.

Hoffman''s edited statement has been tendered to the court.

The hearing resumes tomorrow, when more of Dr. Patel''s former Bundaberg hospital colleagues will give evidence. (ANI)

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