Overdose of anaesthesia’ kills a woman

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

Bangalore, Aug 17, 2013: A 37-year-old woman, who was to undergo a minor surgical procedure Myomectomy (removal of fibroids in the uterus), died after developing complications allegedly due to an overdose of anaesthesia.

Vaishali, 37, of Anchaiah Chetty Layout, RMV Extension, was admitted to Ganesh Nursing Home, Sadashivanagar, on Friday morning for the surgery. Phool Chand, her borther-in-law, told Deccan Herald that even after 13 years of their marriage, the couple did not have a child and hence had opted for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

 

The doctors had advised her to get the fibroids in the uterus surgically removed for better results and one of her friends referred her to Dr Devaraj at Ganesh Nursing Home, he added.

Vaishali and her husband Bharath Kumar, who runs a clothing store in Chikpet, met Dr Devaraj on Thursday. He reportedly assured him that it was a minor surgery and scheduled it for 3:30 pm on Friday. Vaishali was admitted to the hospital on Friday morning. Chand said that she had no health complications till then.

Dr Devaraj administered an injection in the ward before she was shifted for the surgery, he said. Chand and Bharath Kumar waited outside the operation theatre. “After about 15 minutes, Dr Devaraj rushed to us and said she had developed some complications and had an epilepsy attack. We said she had no history of epilepsy.

However, minutes after he left, a nurse came running and took us to Vaishali. Her condition was pathetic and frightening. Her hands were trembling and she had breathing problem. The hospital authorities told them to shift her to another hospital as there was no ICU facility in the nursing home.

She was rushed to nearby Fortis Hospital and was taken to the ICU straightaway and an ECG was performed on her. The doctors then declared her dead. Dr Devaraj turned up at the hospital and was mobbed by the enraged family members. Dr Devaraj soon fled the scene. He remained incommunicado even by Saturday evening.

Kumar alleged that Dr Devaraj was responsible for the death of his wife. He said the family suspected Vaishali died of an overdose of anaesthesia Dr Devaraj administered to her.

Kumar has lodged a complaint against Dr Devaraj and the nursing home alleging medical negligence. Sadashivanagar police have registered a case of death due to negligence under Section 304A of the IPC and are further investigating the case.

An autopsy was performed on the body at MS Ramaiah Hospital on Saturday afternoon. The exact cause of her death can be ascertained only after receiving the autopsy report, police said.

However, the nursing home authorities said Dr Devaraj had his own clinic Arpitha Polyclinic in Seshadripuram and was bringing his patients for surgery here.

Chand said the couple were hoping that they can have their own baby through IVF. “It was almost like a dream come true. But the doctor snatched away Vaishali herself. My brother is devastated,” Chand broke down. The family will fight for justice, he added.