Plastic surgeon sets patient on fire during breast augmentation procedure, then blames burn marks on allergic reaction

Friday, March 25, 2011 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: plastic surgery, burn marks, health news

(NaturalNews) A prominent UK doctor is in hot water for allegedly causing a major medical accident and afterward trying to lie about it. According to the UK Daily Mail, Dr. Christina Brunner accidentally lit a patient on fire during a breast augmentation surgery, and as the woman began to wake up, Brunner told her assistants to "extensively dress" the wound and tell the patient that the injury was the result of an allergic reaction.

Brunner performed the breast surgery at London Welbeck Hospital on September 11, 2008, as a visiting cosmetic surgeon, and it was her first day working at the hospital. According to reports, a piece of hot surgical equipment touched a swab and caught it on fire, which quickly spread to surgical drapes. Although the fire was quickly put out, the patient suffered a sizable burn mark on one of her breasts.

Reports say Brunner told her team not to mention the incident, and instructed them not to fill out the required hospital forms. Brunner also allegedly withheld the truth from the injured patient about what happened, even after three followup visits. But when the patient ended up having to be treated for her burned and blistered skin, the truth finally came out.

Before a medical tribunal, the UK General Medical Council accused Brunner of deliberately trying to mislead her injured patient, and also instructing her coworkers to lie about the incident. Brunner admitted that she failed to tell the patient the truth, but insisted she made this decision to "protect" the patient. Witnesses, however, said otherwise.

"At the end of the procedure the breast looked red and raw, and blistering started," said Dr. Nada Hadi, an anaesthesiologist present during the incident. "Dr. Brunner said 'I am going to tell her, the patient, it's an allergic reaction,' which is a strange thing to say ... I said to her it is best to tell the patient the truth as honesty is the best policy, but she didn't respond."

Brunner's has had numerous scientific studies published in professional journals, and she has received various honors and awards for her work.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368...