An 84-year-old Indian-American doctor in Florida was punished after two problematic colonoscopies. During one of them, he failed to hear a patient’s cries of pain because the patient was not wearing a hearing aid. The 84-year-old doctor, Ishwari Prasad, has been licensed to practice medicine in Florida since 1990.
Ishwari Prasad was placed on probation, fined $7,500, ordered to pay $6,301 in court costs and to take a five-hour medical ethics course.
His probation conditions dictate that he is not allowed to perform any procedures independently until he has completed 10 gastroenterological procedures under supervision. by the Florida Board of Medicine after two botched procedures, according to an administrative complaint filed by the state Department of Health and reviewed by USA Today.
Both colonoscopies took place on June 5 of last year at the Tampa Ambulatory Surgery Center in Florida.
A colonoscopy is a medical procedure in which a doctor uses a long, flexible tube with a camera to look into the large intestine (colon) to look for problems such as polyps or cancer.
BUGGY COLONOSCOPY PROCEDURES
According to a complaint filed by the Florida Department of Health, during one of the procedures the doctor “improperly” delegated key tasks to an unlicensed surgical technician. The technician was instructed to perform tasks such as inserting and manipulating the endoscope despite having no medical training, USA Today reported.
During the second colonoscopy, the doctor began inserting the endoscope before the patient was fully sedated, causing the patient to scream in pain.
The complaint alleges that the doctor did not stop the procedure when it was clear that the patient was not adequately sedated. This failure is attributed to the doctor not using his hearing aids.
An emergency order indicated that the sedation disturbance was due to a problem with the patient’s IV line.
The Miami Herald reported that the doctor continued with the procedure despite being instructed to wait, causing additional discomfort to the patient.
The investigation also revealed that the surgical technician regularly assisted the physician with tasks beyond his training because he was unable to perform them himself. The technician reported that he performed various tasks, including pushing the endoscope and cutting polyps.
The doctor was subsequently fined $7,500 and must pay an additional $6,301 in legal costs. He must also complete a five-hour continuing education course by August 7 next year.
