Hip and knee specialist struck off for dishonest conduct following surgery

A doctor specialising in hip and knee replacement surgery, has been struck off after giving a patient the wrong knee prosthesis during surgery at Peterborough City Hospital.

Dr Emyr Abdul Hafiz Chowdury, who worked at Peterborough City Hospital was referred to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) after carrying out a revision left total knee replacement surgery on a patient in April 2016.

A hearing last month resulted in Dr Chowdury being struck off for his dishonesty following the incident.

Disciplinary proceedings

55-year-old Dr Chowdury, from Lincolnshire was an experienced surgeon specialising in knee and hip surgery. He dealt with patients with complex problems requiring primary joint replacement of the hip and knee, as well as revision joint surgery for failed hip and knee joint replacements.

During surgery in April 2016, he had used a left sided knee prosthesis in the patient’s right knee in error.

Although fitting the wrong knee was treatment below the reasonable standard, the MPTS accepted that incorrect labelling may have contributed to the error. They confirmed that the surgery alone would not have warranted disciplinary proceedings but it was his dishonesty in attempting to cover up the mistake which led to him being struck off.

This included emailing a colleague stating that the correct prosthesis had been used, giving false information to the patient, failing to tell the patient’s GP about the error and not reporting the packaging issue. All this amounted to a fundamental breach and left the Tribunal with no other option but to strike him off.

It is further alleged that his actions were dishonest in relation to discussions he had with the patient.

Patients to come forward

Senior Medical Negligence Solicitor, Emma Semwayo, said: “This is a shocking breach of trust by an experienced and respected surgeon which is reflected in the sanction applied.

“Things can and do go wrong in surgery, but, clinicians have a duty to inform their patients how and why this has happened, whether or not this will lead to a claim in negligence. Knee and hip replacements can offer a new lease of life and conversely, complications following surgery such as this can be devastating, leading to a loss of mobility and independence.

“If you think that you have been treated negligently, or have concerns about any procedures you have had, then we would urge you to speak to our medical negligence team to discuss your rights to pursue a legal claim.”