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Medical malpractice ... a medical patient has sued an anaesthesiologist for mocking him while he was unconscious (stock picture). Picture: Thinkstock Source: News Limited
A MAN was sedated to avoid the discomfort of a colonoscopy — but medical staff were the real pains in the bum.
A patient has been awarded a massive damages settlement after accidentally recording an anaesthesiologist ruthlessly mocking him while he was unconscious.
The man, who has not been named, pressed record on his smartphone before his procedure to capture the instructions from his doctor when he awoke. He was shocked at what he heard.
“After five minutes of talking to you in pre-op, I wanted to punch you in the face and man you up a little bit,†the anaesthesiologist, Tiffany M. Ingham, was recorded saying to him as he drifted off to sleep at her Virginia, US, practice in April 2013.
Busted ... Tiffany Ingham is said to have made offensive comments about a patient who was under anesthesia. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
When a medical assistant noticed the man had a rash, Dr Ingham warned her not to touch it, saying she might get “some syphilis on your arm or something.†She added: “It’s probably tuberculosis in the penis, so you’ll be all right.â€
One assistant called the patient a “retardâ€, while staff speculated on whether he was gay.
The man, identified only as “DB†in court records, sued Dr Ingham and her practice for defamation and medical malpractice.
He was awarded $US500,000 ($648,000) in damages following a three-day trial, The Washington Post reported.
Dr Ingham, 42, has now reportedly relocated to a practice in Florida.
The gastroenterologist who performed the colonoscopy, Soloman Shah, was dismissed from the case even though he also made some disparaging remarks.
During the rash discussion, he was recorded saying: “As long as it’s not Ebola, you’re OK.â€
He also failed to discourage Dr Ingham.
Scene ... the man unknowingly recorded Dr Tiffany Ingham’s comments at her practice in Reston, Virginia. Picture: Googlemaps Source: Supplied
Kathryn E McGoldrick, former president of the Academy of Anaesthesiology, said the doctors’ comments were “stupidâ€.
“These types of conversations are not only offensive but frankly stupid, because we can never be certain that our patients are asleep and wouldn’t have recall,†she testified.