Two of New York’s highest paid brain surgeons have recently been suspended for two weeks after abandoning a patient in the operating room. The patient had already been anesthetized and prepped for her brain surgery.
The two surgeons involved in the incident were Thomas Milhorat, chief of neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital, and Paolo Bolognese, a colleague of Milhorat’s.
The suspensions were given out following an incident on April 10. Bolognese had a patient in the operating room. Her head had been shaved and she had already received anesthesia, but Bolognese was nowhere to be found. Hospital staff called on Milhorat to perform the surgery, but he refused because she was not his patient.
Since there were no other surgeons available at the time, the surgery was never performed. The incident is currently under investigation.
Milhorat and Bolognese run North Shore University Hospital’s Chiari Institute, a facility that treats patients suffering from a rare congenital brain injury causing headaches, dizziness, and other symptoms.
This is not the first time the two surgeons have had complaints filed against them. Both doctors are currently facing three medical malpractice lawsuits for improper conduct. One lawsuit alleges that they used patients with the brain defect, including a 4-year-old, as guinea pigs for research and financial profit.
Another lawsuit alleges that the doctors told the parents of a 12-year-old girl that her surgery would be a “walk in the park.” However, since her surgery, her condition has continued to steadily decline.
Doctors have a responsibility to do everything in their power to provide their patients with the best care possible. The actions of these two doctors failed to live up to this responsibility and constitute a major surgical error. If you have been the victim of a surgical error, it is important to consult an experienced medical malpractice lawyer. You may be entitled to receive compensation for your damages.
If you have a medical malpractice claim in the New York City area, please contact the Law Offices of Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today to schedule a consultation.
