A HARPENDEN anaesthetist who admitted making blunders during an operation to cure a sportswoman s excessive sweating poses a continued risk to patients, a General Medical Council (GMC) panel hearing was told yesterday Consultant anaesthetist Dr Wasfy Ya

A HARPENDEN anaesthetist who admitted making blunders during an operation to cure a sportswoman's excessive sweating poses a 'continued risk' to patients, a General Medical Council (GMC) panel hearing was told yesterday

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Wasfy Yanny, of Penny Croft, failed to treat Louise Field's dipping oxygen levels during the operation at Harpenden Bupa Hospital in 2002.

Louise, 27, who previously lived in High Street, Wheathampstead, died two days after vascular surgeon Dr Michael Ormiston accidentally punctured her lung and pumped gas into her stomach.

Dr Yanny, a consultant anaesthetist, failed to treat her falling oxygen levels during the same operation.

When she was rushed to another hospital, he also gave no indication that she might have neurological problems because of the earlier lack of oxygen nor did he inform the specialist registrar there about the drugs given or provide an anaesthetic chart.

He then failed to apologise to Mrs Field's family, saying "these things happened" the GMC heard.

At an earlier GMC hearing, both Drs Ormiston and Yanny were found guilty of conduct that fell below the standard expected. They faced a total of 41 charges relating to their conduct during the surgery.

But they are now being dealt with separately and on Monday, the GMC was considering if Dr Yanny's fitness to practice was impaired.

Sarah Plashchkes for the GMC told the hearing that it was a particularly tragic case and warned that there was nothing to indicate that Dr Yanny would not do the same thing again. "There is a continued risk to patients," she said.

Trainee accountant Mrs Field chose to have an operation to suppress nerves behind her ribs to cure excessive sweating.

Dr Ormiston had performed the surgery at the BUPA Hospital, Harpenden, Herts, now the Spire Harpenden Hospital, on March 20, 2002.

After the surgery went wrong, Louise was rushed to Hemel Hempstead Hospital where she died. A post mortem revealed she died from a lack of blood supply to the brain caused by damage to her lungs.

The panel is still considering Dr Yanny's fitness to practice.

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