C-section blunder doctor avoids sack

Published on Saturday 25 February 2012 12:13

A DOCTOR who failed to give a pregnant woman enough anaesthetic as she underwent a Caeserian section has escaped the sack.

Locum consultant anaesthetist Dr Jacques Vallet, 60, did not give the patient sufficient medication, causing her to feel pain on her lower stomach during the procedure on November 30, 2009.

Colleagues at St John’s Hospital in Livingston temporarily postponed the operation after the woman panicked and cried out that she was still in pain before fully sedating her. Her baby daughter was subsequently delivered successfully and no harm was caused to either mother or child.

At the General Medical Council in Manchester, Vallet was charged with failing to administer an adequate local anaesthetic and of advising the operating surgeon that he was safe to proceed when the patient was experiencing sensation and discomfort.

Yesterday, a disciplinary panel said his fitness to practise was impaired but ruled he could keep his job as long as he operated under a strict set of conditions.

During the hearing the woman, known only as Patient A, broke down and sobbed as she told the experience had left her feeling “let down” by Vallet, a Frenchman who began working as a doctor in the UK in 1983 but did not qualify as an anaesthetist until 2003.

He injected 2.3mg of a powerful painkiller, diamorphine, into her spinal cavity but failed to administer a local anaesthetic to numb the region.

The hearing was told that Dr Vallet had continued to work as a locum consultant since this incident and no concerns had been raised about his conduct since.

He had been contracted from an agency to provide short-term cover for NHS Lothian, but was never directly employed by the health board.

Panel chairman Mr David Flinter said: “The panel accepts Dr Vallet has shown some insight into his misconduct. However, it is not satisfied that he has addressed the errors which he made in relation to Patient A’s obstetric anaesthetic.

“Dr Vallet has not acknowledged that his actions in relation to Patient A subsequent to this error were serious in nature and could have placed Patient A at unwarranted risk of harm. The panel has concluded that it is appropriate, necessary and proportionate to impose conditions on his registration.”

Vallet will have to abide by a set of conditions over the next 12 months including not carrying out obstetric anaesthesia unless directly supervised by a consultant anaesthetist.

Related Articles

• Doctor faces action over C-section drug blunder

  A DOCTOR faces disciplinary action after failing to give a woman an anaesthetic for a caesarean section.

  0 Comments

• Doctor who gave woman insufficient anaesthetic during Caesarean keeps job

  A CONSULTANT who failed to give enough anaesthetic to a pregnant woman when she was having an elective Caesarean has been told he can continue working under supervision.

  0 Comments

• Childbirth . . the mother of all agonies

  Giving birth is meant to be a great moment in a woman’s life, but Sandra Dick finds that for many the pain is too much to bear.

  0 Comments

• A year of big ideas

  That mobile phone’s ringing again and you’ve got mail on your PC; your working hours are stretching out and you never see the kids. Retirement – which once just seemed a long way off – is receding into the distance.

  0 Comments

• Bumpy touch-down for tiny passenger

  THE MOST dangerous parts of any flight are the take-off and landing. I reckon the same applies to pregnancy. The worst bits of carrying a child are the first three months - with their increased threat of miscarriage - and the actual birth when, let's face it, anything can happen. Just as every flight is different - some being more turbulent than others, with the need for paper bags varying immensely - so is every woman's experience of childbirth. So here, just for the record, is mine.

  0 Comments

Comments

There are 5 comments to this article

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

5

Mark Bishop

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 09:06 PM

It would have hurt a hell of a lot more if the lady in question had given birth naturally, as I understand from my female friends. Women these days go for cesarians, not for a medical emergency such as fetal distress or eclampsia, but to avoid a long labour and perhaps a few stitches from an episostomy. I suspect that she was angling for compensation. Thank goodness common sense prevailed at the Disciplinary Hearing.

• Report Unsuitable

4

A Voice of Reason

Monday, February 27, 2012 at 03:16 PM

It is clear that the Surgeon in charge handled things well. Earlier reports say that he stopped the operation twice to check all was OK with his patient. Well done to him for spotting there was an issue and dealing with it. I find it surprising the Anaesthetist knew there was a problem and did not tell the surgeon. I assume that is why two other Anaesthetists were called to the operation. I can imagine the Surgeon would not have been best pleased with this guy. It does need to be kept in proportion though. The penalty seems right to me. Its right that the Anaesthetist was investigated it was his job to check that everything was OK before he told the Surgeon he was good to start! Lets remember that in the other article here about this they say that he also forgot to switch on the oxygen machine too. That was only spotted by the other Anaesthetist who was called in! Not a great day for the Anaesthetics department me thinks! just as well there was a good surgeon.

• Report Unsuitable

3

Jools in Edinburgh

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:51 PM

#1 Go away and read the article again. He qualified in 2003 and the incident was in 2009..nothing like a new driver. As for this being a very serious error, what would you class an error causing the death of a newborn child? This was a one-off careless mistake causing a woman extra pain in childbirth. Give the guy a break. I wonder how many errors you have made in your job in the last 20 years.

• Report Unsuitable

2

lewdboy

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:51 AM

Hardly life or death stuff. This is just like going to the dentist and saying that you still feel pain and he gives you a little top up. Are we calling for all these dentists to be sacked aswell? This woman needs to get a grip and remember that it was all in her head and at no point was saftey comprimised. A bit of pain during childbirth? Heaven forbid!

• Report Unsuitable

1

Dave scotland

Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 09:43 PM

How did he not get the sack. This was a very serious error. The fact that he did give some painkiller but not enough shows his complete lack of either concentration or arrogant attiude. A young driver that speeds just after passing the driving test has to sit the test again.Why is this idiot not made to pass his exams again.

• Report Unsuitable

Order by:

• Newest first
• |
• Oldest first

Page 1 of 1

• 1
• Show all

Logged in as:

Comment here. Start typing your comment here:

Post comment

Please adhere to our Community guidelines

Your view

Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.