A surgeon who removed 90% of a baby's bladder during a botched
and "catastrophic" operation has been found guilty of
misconduct.
Pierina Kapur, 43, was meant to operate on both sides of the
stomach of a child, identified only as Baby A, after hernial
trouble. Starting on the left side, where she was meant to remove
an embedded ovary, she failed to recognise the anatomy and instead
dissected the vast majority of the bladder.
The girl, then aged seven weeks, will be forced to use a
catheter for the rest of her life and faces a substantial risk of
cancer because of the operation, a disciplinary panel was told.
Miss Kapur admitted her role in the operation was "inadequate"
and below the standard to be expected of a reasonably competent
consultant paediatric surgeon. She could be struck off the medical
register after the panel ruled her actions went beyond mere
negligence and crossed the threshold to misconduct.
The panel will reconvene on Wednesday, March 10 to discuss what,
if any, sanctions should be imposed.