Without hearing aid, Indian-American doctor fails to hear patient’s cries

An 84-year-old Indian-American doctor in Florida has been punished after two problematic colonoscopy procedures, including one where he failed to hear a patient’s painful cries as he was not wearing his hearing aids. The doctor, Ishwari Prasad, 84, has been licenced to practice in Florida since 1990.

Ishwari Prasad has been placed on probation and has been fined $7,500, ordered to pay $6,301 in case costs, and required to take a five-hour course on medical ethics.

His probation terms dictate that he cannot perform procedures independently until completing 10 supervised gastroenterology procedures by the Florida Board of Medicine following two botched procedures, according to a state Department of Health administrative complaint reviewed by USA Today.

Both colonoscopies occurred on June 5 of the previous year at the Tampa Ambulatory Surgery Centre in Florida.

A colonoscopy is a medical procedure where a doctor uses a long, flexible tube with a camera to look inside the large intestine (colon) to check for problems like polyps or cancer.

BOTCHED COLONOSCOPY PROCEDURES

According to a complaint from the Florida Department of Health, the doctor “improperly delegated” critical tasks to an unlicensed surgical technician during one of the procedures. The technician was directed to perform tasks such as inserting and manipulating the scope, despite lacking medical training, reported USA Today.

In the second colonoscopy, the doctor began inserting the scope before the patient was fully sedated, resulting in the patient screaming in pain.

The complaint notes that the doctor did not stop the procedure when it was clear the patient was not adequately sedated, attributing this oversight to the doctor’s failure to use his hearing aids.

An emergency restriction order revealed that the sedation issue was caused by a problem with the patient’s IV line.

The Miami Herald reported that even after being instructed to wait, the doctor continued the procedure, causing the patient additional discomfort.

The investigation also found that the surgical tech routinely assisted the doctor with tasks beyond her training due to his inability to perform them himself. The technician reported handling various tasks, including pushing the scope and cutting polyps.

As a result, the doctor has been fined $7,500 and is required to pay an additional $6,301 in case costs. He must also complete a five-hour continuing medical education course by August 7 of next year.