The alleged victim is said to have first read about the case in the media - only to be told a few months later by police that it was him the teenage girl was said to have helped operate on.

An Austrian surgeon allegedly let his teenage daughter drill a hole in a patient’s skull.

Following a forestry accident in January, a 33-year-old man was flown by air ambulance to Graz University Hospital, Styria, southeastern Austria, with serious head injuries, according to Kronen Zeitung, an Austrian newspaper.

He needed emergency surgery, but the doctor allegedly let his 13-year-old daughter take part in operating on him.

The newspaper reported that she even drilled a hole in the patient’s skull.

While the operation was said to have gone off without issue, the patient is still unable to work and investigations by the Graz public prosecutor’s officer against the entire surgical team are continuing.

It wasn’t until April that an anonymous complaint was logged to the public prosecutor’s office about the allegations, the newspaper reported.

The alleged victim initially learned about the case in the media before later being told by authorities he was a witness in an investigation.

  • Carmakazi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    561·
    2 months ago

    My understanding is that the drill is fixtured in position in procedures as delicate as this, so that it really can’t move and drill anywhere except where it needs to. Likely why Dad thought (wrongly) that it was harmless.

        • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.worldEnglish
          18·
          2 months ago

          I’ve never seen a mounted drill in the OR (though I imagine there is an option for it - bed-mounted instruments and equipment are pretty common).

          Here’s a video that kinda shows how craniotomies go - this is just an animation, nothing gory. The drill in the animation is different from the onces I’ve seen used for cranis (pistol-shaped vs just a cylinder like the one I linked earlier) but either way, it’s very much a hand-held device.

          Even micro surgery like when we’re drilling in a tympanoplasty or cochlear implant placement - literally done under a microscope - it’s still just a little dremmel looking thing.

          • asteriskeverything@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            2 months ago

            I just wanted to be sure to say thank you for your thoughtful replies with sources, I have learned some things and enjoyed it.

          • Warl0k3@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            2 months ago

            Worked in orthopedic surgery for years (just a big nerd, not a surgeon) and it’s always strange seeing other surgical disciplines talking about the equipment used in a procedure. Like, ya’ll don’t just use a Dewalt in a sterile bag? Really?

            • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              2 months ago

              ya’ll don’t just use a Dewalt in a sterile bag?

              They like to pretend it’s more than that, but anything that requires power really just boils down to carpentry that bleeds.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.worldEnglish
        61·
        2 months ago

        Well not only has Hollywood lied to us again, I now feel 10 times more horrified about this story.

    • tpihkal@lemmy.worldEnglish
      135·
      2 months ago

      I was thinking this as well. Headlines, no matter the story, are frequently meant to rage bait people.

      Is it pretty messed up? Yeah, I’d say that meets the definition. Was the guy actually in danger? Idk? I’m not a rocket scientist.

      Edit: Side note, I just saw a “cranial fixation system” for the first time where I work about a week ago. I do not work in a medical field so this is just a really strange coincidence. I won’t be elaborating on my career.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      52·
      2 months ago

      It likely was harmless, since the article infers ther surgery went well. It was just inappropriate and looks bad. When suing in the US you have to show damages. The patient may have a hard time winning his case.

      • Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago

        I think that’s an entirely wrong starting point. Operating on a person without their informed consent is bodily harm. You have to prove the patient agreed. (Ignoring for the moment situations where they can’t.)

        The patient never agreed to a surgery in part performed by that kid, but to one performed entirely by trained professionals.