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CNN Live Today

Patient Left on Operating Table Speaking Out

Aired August 15, 2002 - 10:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A patient who was left on the operating table by a doctor, he is speaking out this hour. Charles Algeri says he felt abandoned by his doctor, Dr. David Arndt. Some my may find that understandable, given that the doctor cut out of the middle of spinal surgery just to go to bank to deposit his paycheck.
Janet Wu of our affiliate WCBB has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANET WU, WCBB REPORTER: After admitting to deserting his patient who was on the operating table here at Mount Auburn Hospital for 35 minutes to go to the bank, Arndt's attorney has said the 41- year-old surgeon's lapse of judgment in July was an isolated incident. The hospital immediately suspended Arndt's privileges at Mount Auburn and reported him to the board of registration, which suspended his license to practice in Massachusetts, citing him as immediate threat to public safety.

But the patient in the case, a Walthan (ph) man, was never notified until he read the headlines last week. Tonight, he said in a statement, "I still can't believe that nobody told me what happened while I was on the Mount Auburn hospital, supposedly under care of Dr. David Arndt. I thought he was my doctor. I had no idea the hospital suspended him. He even visited me twice in hospital after the operation."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, Dr. Arndt has been suspended indefinitely. His lawyer says the doctor is appealing that decision.

Joining us now talk more about the case is Nancy Achin Sullivan. She is with the Massachusetts State Board of Registration in Medicine.

Nancy, good morning. Thanks for being with us again.

NANCY ACHIN SULLIVAN, MASS. STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION IN MEDICINE: Good morning.

KAGAN: First of all, what about this issue, of lack of notification for the patient? How does the patient get left out of the loop?

SULLIVAN: Well, the board of course would notify a patient as soon as we had any information. Our understanding is that the hospital, based on their public comments, made a determination to notify the patient when they knew there would be a public disclosure, an inquiry about the incident.

KAGAN: Isn't that a little too late though? If the public knows about it, the patient should know. Doesn't the patient have a right before that to find out?

SULLIVAN: Well, certainly I think the Massachusetts board has been a leader in the public disclosure, profile system and others, and has been very committed to patient rights and patient information.

I don't want to speak for the hospital about how they made determination about when to present information to the patient.

KAGAN: All right, you're responsibility is the doctor here, what happens to him. His status suspended indefinitely. What does that mean exactly?

SULLIVAN: The board took a vote last week to summarily suspend the doctor's license. That means he does not have the ability to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, until we are either overturned on appeal. He does have the right to appeal, and indicated publicly plans to do so.

Or if we prevail on issue of appeal, he would remain suspended until the outcome of the full evidentiary hearing before a magistrate.

KAGAN: And how does this system work? Who do you appeal to in this case?

SULLIVAN: In this case, the appeal would be made to the administrator of law magistrate. That magistrate will render a decision on the summary suspension first, and then, depending on that outcome, we will go forward with a full evidentiary hearing on the merits of the case.

KAGAN: So it's really too early to tell what will happen to this doctor long term; a year, five years from now, he will be back practicing medicine.

SULLIVAN: Again, we cannot comment what action the board might take for final discipline. There is a broad range of sanctions available, from no discipline, to reprimand, fined, monitoring up, to and including revocation of license.

KAGAN: Nancy Achin Sullivan, thanks for being with us today and bringing us up to date on that case. Appreciate it.

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