The tribunal found<\/a> Schmidt \u201cmade a catastrophic error\u201d when she operated on the wrong end of a 79-year-old man\u2019s bowel. He had been transferred to Albury hospital in December 2019, and was found through a CT scan to have a perforated bowel, requiring a section of the bowel to be removed.<\/p>\n He also needed a stoma, where an opening on the abdomen is created by the surgeon so a colostomy bag can be connected for waste removal.<\/p>\n Schmidt \u201cbrought out the wrong end of the bowel when she formed the stoma,\u201d the tribunal decision said. \u201cShe caused a complete mechanical bowel obstruction so that the stoma was not capable of passing faecal material.\u201d<\/p>\n The tribunal found Schmidt\u2019s \u201cconduct of the procedure was significantly below the relevant standard\u201d.<\/p>\n A coronial inquest into the 79-year-old\u2019s death, referred to in the tribunal\u2019s decision, found he died as a result of complications of inflammation, which was contributed to by the surgical error made by Schmidt.<\/p>\n \u201cOther contributing causes to his physical decline and death included the prolonged delay in diagnosis of a mechanical bowel obstruction together with underlying natural causes,\u201d the decision said.<\/p>\n The tribunal found Schmidt also failed to provide the man with appropriate post-operative care.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n In another patient, Schmidt failed to perform a complete colonoscopy and because of this, did not detect a cancer that the tribunal found should have been identified during the procedure.<\/p>\n During the hearing, Schmidt said she had addressed the concerns raised and had engaged in self-reflection, further education, re-certification and education from peers.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has maintained and developed professional relationships and is constantly auditing, reflecting, analysing and discussing her performance,\u201d the tribunal decision said.<\/p>\n The tribunal heard there were five patients where Schmidt failed to take the adequate time to perform colonoscopies. The procedure in one patient was finished in five minutes. Schmidt admitted to the tribunal she did not take enough time for the procedures.<\/p>\n She also failed to adequately capture images during the procedure in several patients, the tribunal found.<\/p>\n An expert witness who reviewed the cases told the tribunal that his main concern regarding those patients was \u201cthe relatively rapid time taken by Dr Schmidt to conduct the colonoscopies\u201d.<\/p>\n
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