Surgeon cut off testicle in error

A PATIENT lost a testicle during an operation after the surgeon accidentally cut it off, the medical watchdog was told yesterday.

Dr Sulieman Al Hourani was only supposed to cut out a cyst on the patient’s right testis, but instead he “mistakenly” removed the whole testicle, the General Medical Council (GMC) heard.

Dr Al Hourani was working as a locum surgeon at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, which is run by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

He is accused of misconduct over the error and faces further charges of injecting himself with a drug meant for a patient and stealing tablets.

The medic, who is now practising in Jordan, is not present or represented by lawyers at the Fitness to Practise Panel which is hearing his case at the GMC in Manchester.

The panel decided to proceed with the case in his absence as he had been notified of the hearing but chose not to “engage” with the GMC or appoint lawyers to represent him.

Sarah Prichard, counsel for the GMC said a man, known only as patient A, had gone into hospital for the cyst to be removed on September 5, 2007.

He was the first patient of the day and his medical notes made it “perfectly clear” the procedure was to be “excision of right epididymal cyst”.

Ms Prichard added: “The theatre staff will tell the panel that their impression of what happened was that Dr Al Hourani had mistakenly removed the testicle rather than the cyst and expressed himself rather quite surprised.

“Staff had no discussion as to why he was changing from excision of a cyst to removal of a testicle.”

Ms Prichard said the mistake was made as one nurse helping the surgeon turned her back to get a stitch and when she turned around the testicle had been removed.

“Literally as the nurse turned away to get a transfixion stitch the incident occurred and the testicle removed.

“Such was the level of concern they immediately realised it could be a serious medical incident and took steps to complete the relevant documentation.”

A month later it is alleged the doctor, who qualified after studying at Jordan University of Science and Technology, stole two boxes of dihydrocodeine from a treatment room on a ward at the same hospital.

An investigation was launched and the doctor was dismissed by his employers.

The panel was told of another incident involving Dr Al Hourani more than a year earlier, in August, 2006.

He had consulted a colleague and was advised to inject a patient with 10 milligrams (mg) of midazolam, a powerful sedative drug.

Instead Dr Al Hourani, who was the only surgeon at the hospital that day to treat patients, gave the patient 8mg and injected himself with the other 2mg.

Hospital staff said the doctor appeared unsteady on his feet, bumped into boxes, held on to a wall and was “weaving” down the corridor.

He was later found in the doctors’ mess room, “deeply asleep” and taken in a wheelchair to A&E.

An internal inquiry at the hospital was launched and during disciplinary hearings he confessed to self–injecting the drug, telling colleagues it was the “worst thing he had done in his life” and he was ashamed of himself.

The hearing is scheduled to last three weeks.