BENGALURU: Last September, Shaji George Thomas (35) was a strapping man, weighing 110kg. Just five months later, he weighs 45kg, his organs are almost giving up, and he can scarcely walk.
The reason for this drop in his health parameters is alleged to be a laparoscopic surgery gone horrifically wrong, while removing a gall bladder stone.It was with family friend and police commissioner T Suneel Kumar’s help that Thomas was referred to Dr Ashwini Kumar Kudari of Narayana Health, who put him on corrective treatment, and discharged him on Sunday — but not before he had suffered months of complications, including a cardiac arrest.
Thomas, an HSR Layout resident who owns a Subway franchise in BTM Layout, filed a complaint of medical negligence with Jayanagar police against Dr Ravishankar H R, who works for a private hospital. The surgery was performed at Shanti Hospital and Research Centre (SHRC) in Jayanagar.The problems started last September 18, when he complained of abdominal pain. On September 26, he visited Dr Ravishankar, who he knew.
Ravishankar told Thomas he had a small gall bladder stone which could be extricated using a laparoscopic procedure, and advised him to get admitted in SHRC, while allegedly discouraging him from getting admitted to the more reputed private hospital where he practised.Thomas got admitted on September 30, and the surgery was scheduled the next day.
Ravishankar allegedly convinced Thomas that the surgery would take 45 minutes. However, as per the complaint filed by Thomas, the surgery took four hours. The doctor is alleged to have informed Thomas’ mother that complications due to heavy bleeding in the abdomen caused the delay. Thomas got discharged on October 2, but he kept getting fever and pain, and went for several check-ups. On October 13, he collapsed with abdominal pain and a spell of nausea, dizziness and convulsions. He was taken to a private hospital, but doctors refused to treat him due to complications, and referred him back to SHRC.
There, Ravishankar allegedly told him that his complications were due to fluid retention in his gall bladder and he would remove it with a syringe. Thomas alleged that on October 14, Ravishankar, without informing him or his family, performed a surgery on him, which only caused more wounds in his intestines. Thomas alleged that he was later put on a ventilator.
Thomas said he was informed by a junior doctor assisting Dr Ravishankar that an artery supplying blood to the gall bladder was ruptured during surgery. This artery was not sealed properly, causing increased blood flow to other parts of the body, resulting in fluid retention and infection.
“This led to multiple organ failure,” he said.Dr Kudari of Narayana Health said, “All his organs had suffered, his blood pressure dropped and there was excessive abdominal bleeding. He was on daily dialysis support. But now his organs are becoming normal. There is infection still and treatment is on.”
Dr Ravishankar, in his defence, said, “The patient was in a bad condition with severe pancreatitis, besides being diabetic. There was infection in the gall bladder. If I had let him be, he would have died. He was irregular for treatment, he is a smoker, and never followed my instructions. I have spoken to another doctor who treated him. My treatment stands in any court or council. There is nothing wrong in it.”