Brisbane court told 'Dr. Death's' surgeries 'more dangerous than a transplant'

Brisbane (Australia), May 24 (ANI): The oesophagectomy operations performed by controversial Indian origin surgeon Dr. Jayant Patel a.k.a. "Dr. Death on two Bundaberg Base Hospital patients who later died were more dangerous than a heart or liver transplant, the Brisbane Supreme Court was told on Monday.

The Courier Mail quoted University of Adelaide Professor Glyn Jamieson as telling the Supreme Court that one of the patients, James Phillips, had been a better than 50 per cent chance of dying as a result of the operation.

Dr. Jamieson said there were no statistics because the oesophagectomy operations were not usually performed on patients such as Phillips.

The court heard that both Phillips and Kemps died after oesophagectomy operations (the removal of the oesophagus) performed by Dr. Patel.

Dr Jamieson, a specialist in oesophagectomies, detailed how he had 40 years of international experience as a surgeon and academic in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and Australia.

He said he had never examined Phillips but he had seen hospital charts and transcripts of previous evidence from the trial. Dr Jamieson said Phillips was an end stage renal failure patient who also had heart disease, which included an "event" in January 2003.

Phillips had been admitted to the Royal Brisbane Hospital on January 15, 2003, where he had post surgery problems.

"For a relatively minor procedure it was a severe impost on him (Phillips)," Dr Jamieson said referring to the Brisbane operation.

Patel, 60, has pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of James Phillips,46, Mervyn Morris, 75, and Gerry Kemps, 77, and he also faces grievous bodily harm charge involving an injury allegedly sustained in surgery by Ian Rodney Vowles, 62.

The trial continues. (ANI)