i cannot comprehend what this surgeon was thinking! what do you think would happen if this was a surgical nurse and s/he "stepped out" for a minute to run to the bank? what do you think his final punishment will be...a fine and a spanking? you think he'll show up in your state? ayyyyy...!
s_bsn
boston, massachusetts (ap) -- a surgeon who left a patient anesthetized and with an open incision in his back while he went to a bank several blocks away has had his medical license suspended.
the patient was not harmed, but dr. david c. arndt created an immediate threat when he left the patient at mount auburn hospital in cambridge to go to a bank in harvard square, the state board of registration in medicine said wednesday. it suspended his license indefinitely.
the board said arndt, a harvard-trained orthopedic surgeon, was six hours into a spine operation when he told the operating staff he needed to "step out." the board said he returned about 35 minutes later and finished the operation.
another surgeon who had walked into the operating area to deliver arndt's paycheck told the board arndt asked him to stay for a few minutes while he took a break. the other surgeon, who was not credentialed to perform the surgery and had not scrubbed in, assumed arndt was simply going to the restroom, the board said.
arndt later said that the surgery had run longer than he expected and that he had to get the check to the bank because he was in a financial crisis and had to pay bills.
his lawyer, claudia hunter, said thursday that arndt would appeal the board's decision.
"he regrets his actions of july 10 and apologizes to his patient," hunter said. "at the time of the events, the patient was stable and the surgery was successful."
arndt was suspended by mount auburn hospital last month. he is also licensed to practice medicine in louisiana.
So who paid the bill for the extra OR time as well as a bill for the staff's extra time in the OR that this necessitated. What coworker had to miss breaks and or meals, because this doofus ran over. Did he pay all the surgeons fees for their time that they were delayed.
maybe it was pay as you go surgery, you know half now and half in the middle.etc.
LOL! Reminds me of that commercial where a pt was wheeled into what looked like an Er and before they used a defibrillator on him they swiped his bank card!
I'm curious, though. Isn't this a teaching hospital with residents? I know it isn't "legal, ethical, etc.", but it's not uncommon for surgeons in a teaching hospital to run two rooms at once, allowing a resident to "close up". I'm almost willing to bet this kinda thing happens frequently. This guy pissed someone off and they blew the whistle..just mho.
Heck, if it were me he was cutting on, I'd be relieved to know he stepped out and took a break during a 6hr operation. yah, yah, I know..35mins is a bit excessive, but yanno banks just don't offer the speedy service of years past..lol
Yestoday, I saw the news in chinese. I can comprehend Arndt . I think he must be in bedevilment by something that is more important than the patien's life. But any patient does not meet such a doctor.
There is no good excuse for what he did. He could have had someone else deposit his check if that was the deal. Bet there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Duh!
Bottom line,,,,, no matter the excuse,,,, He abandoned his patient,,, to the highest degree of the definition,,,,,
Waiting for the post,,,, with news report,,,, that is is the nurses fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
License should be shredded,,,,, Can you hear " the bank was only few minutes away,,,,," your patient was left sedated,,,, open with insision ,,,,, staff was left to what,,,, stand and look,,,,, omg!!!!!!!!! ~Moon
Tis amazing....wonder what will happen with him.....he needs to learn about direct deposit.... also maybe it was something other than going to the bank.....maybe some afternoon delight with his other woman.....or maybe he had to pay off the mafia...but what ever the reason he should have his license taken from him and he needs to find a different kind of work......
i saw on the news that the guy who drove this surgeon to the bank was a medical sales rep/vendor who was down in the OR.
now PERHAPS this rep didnt know that a patient was open on the table, but i'll tell you, the more sucking up reps can do, the better for them, so it may not have made any difference anyways. wonder if the rep got any reprimands from HIS company......they probably saw it as a prime opportunity to 'network' with the surgeon and try to sell whatever they have.
boston (ap) - a surgeon whose license was suspended after he left a patient on the operating table while he ran a check to the bank owed large payments to a former domestic partner.
dr. david arndt was ordered after a court battle to pay dr. stephen goldfinger, a psychiatrist, a portion of his income for 15 years after they broke up in 1994, court records show.
arndt challenged the agreement and lost. he was ordered to pay court fees and other costs up to $25,000, and to continue to make support payments up to $500,000 to goldfinger.
according to the state board of medical registration, arndt was six hours into spinal fusion surgery at mount auburn hospital in cambridge on july 10 when he told the operating staff that he needed to "step out." his patient was anesthetized and his back was cut open at the time.
the board said arndt cashed a check at a bank about a mile away, returned about 35 minutes later and completed the operation. arndt later said he was in "a financial crisis" and had to pay overdue bills.
the state board indefinitely suspended arndt's medical license wednesday. hospital officials had reported the matter to the board.
"david has had a checkered personal history and it has rolled over into his professional life," said dr. hyman glick, an orthopedic surgeon at beth israel deaconess medical center who helped train arndt.
arndt's lawyer, claudia hunter, said arndt would appeal the suspension. she called him "a competent and skilled orthopedic surgeon," adding he regretted his actions.
court records say that arndt, 41, and goldfinger met in 1983 and began living together. goldfinger, 10 years older and more established in his profession, paid many of arndt's expenses while he studied to be a doctor, the records say.
the boston herald reported that the medical board already was considering disciplining arndt over a 1998 misdemeanor conviction in louisiana for filing a false statement to help a friend with immigration problems.
caroladybelle, BSN, RN
5,486 Posts
Uhhhh,
So who paid the bill for the extra OR time as well as a bill for the staff's extra time in the OR that this necessitated. What coworker had to miss breaks and or meals, because this doofus ran over. Did he pay all the surgeons fees for their time that they were delayed.
Bet not!!!!!!!!!!