Lankan surgeon banned by children's hospital in deaths scandal
A Sri Lankan surgeon banned from operating at a children's heart unit
in the UK and at the centre of a scandal over high death rates was
previously investigated over his practice. Dr. Nihal Weerasena is the
physician who agreed to stop carrying out operations at Leeds General
Infirmary in West Yorkshire, England two weeks ago while bosses
investigated concerns over his abilities. But Dr. Weerasena also
previously stood aside in 2005 after the hospital identified problems
relating to a procedure he was carrying out to repair a congenital heart
defect.
The hospital, which then had concerns over Dr Weerasena's success
rates with the procedure, asked the Royal College of Surgeons to carry
out a review of his practice.
Dr Weerasena, 59, no longer carries out the specific procedure at the
hospital but has been allowed to remain part of the paediatric cardiac
surgery team at Leeds.
His latest suspension was revealed by The Mail on Sunday two weeks
ago but the hospital has refused to confirm his identity - even though
he stepped aside just before all surgery was halted at the unit over
fears the death rate was twice the national average.
The unit is set to reopen next week if hospital chiefs can convince
NHS officials that there are no safety concerns.
One mother is demanding a fresh investigation into her seven-year-old
daughter's death after learning of the concerns raised about Dr
Weerasena.
Mrs Burton, 39, a civil servant from York, lost Eve - her only child
- after a third operation for a congenital heart condition in March last
year which was carried out by the surgeon.
Eve had an initial operation in 2005 at just ten weeks old to insert
a donor artery, and needed regular follow-ups and further surgery as she
grew. A second operation in December 2009 was also a success. Neither
operation involved the procedure that had been investigated by the Royal
College of Surgeons and neither involved Dr Weerasena.
However, he did carry out the third operation last year when Eve died
hours after a procedure to replace her artery led to the failure of a
heart valve.
Burton said: "I knew the surgery would be risky but it certainly
wasn't spelled out that she might not make it. I did ask Dr Weerasena
for the success rates of the operation and he told me he was unable to
do so.
"I kissed Eve and told her I would see her later. But after being in
surgery all day, he came out and told me there had been complications
and a heart valve had burst under the pressure." Burton held several
meetings with Dr Weerasena but says she still does not understand why
her daughter died.
Dr Weerasena trained at the University of Rajasthan in India and
qualified in 1978. He has been working at Leeds General Infirmary for
more than 10 years.
Asked if he was the surgeon who had been suspended, he said: "You
need to speak to the trust."
A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust refused to confirm
the surgeon's identity. However, he added: "The reason the surgeon
stopped working was nothing to do with mortality rates or children's
heart surgery."
Commenting on the 2005 investigation, the trust said its findings
were implemented in full and the surgeon voluntarily decided not to
undertake the particular procedure in future.
- The Daily Mail |
