An 84-year-old Indian-American doctor in Florida has been penalized for two problematic colonoscopy procedures, including one in which he failed to hear a patient’s painful screams because he was not wearing hearing aids. Dr. Ishwari Prasad, 84, has been licensed to practice in Florida since 1990.
Ishwari Prasad was placed on probation and fined $7,500, ordered to pay $6,301 in litigation costs, and required to take a five-hour course on medical ethics.
According to his probation conditions, he cannot perform procedures independently until he completes 10 supervised gastroenterology procedures The decision came after the Florida Board of Medicine found two procedures were botched, according to a state Health Department administrative complaint reviewed by USA TODAY.
Both colonoscopies were performed on June 5 of last year at the Tampa Ambulatory Surgery Center in Florida.
Colonoscopy is a medical procedure in which a doctor uses a long, flexible tube with a camera to check the inside of the large intestine (colon) for problems such as polyps or cancer.
Flaws in the colonoscopy procedure
According to the Florida Department of Health’s complaint, the doctor “improperly delegated” key tasks to an unlicensed surgical technician during a procedure. The technician was directed to perform tasks such as inserting and manipulating scopes despite a lack of medical training, USA Today reports.
In the second colonoscopy, the doctor began inserting the scope before the patient was fully anesthetized, resulting in the patient screaming in pain.
The complaint states that the doctor did not stop the procedure even when it was clear the patient was not adequately sedated, and attributed this lapse to the doctor’s failure to use hearing aids.
The emergency restraining order revealed the unconsciousness was caused by a problem with the patient’s IV line.
Even after being instructed to wait, the doctor continued with the procedure, causing additional discomfort to the patient, the Miami Herald reported.
The investigation also found that the surgical technician regularly helped the doctor with tasks beyond his training because he was unable to do them himself. The technician took over a number of tasks, including pushing scopes and cutting out polyps.
As a result, the doctor has been fined $7,500 and must pay an additional $6,301 in case costs. He must also complete a five-hour continuing medical education course by August 7 next year.