One of Britain's best-known surgeons is now under investigation after his patient, 58-year-old Lucinda Methuen-Campbell, killed herself after a botched operation.
Surprised To Learn Her Ovaries Were Removed During Surgery
Anthony Dixon, who has built an international reputation for fixing his patients' bowel problems with vaginal mesh implants, reportedly removed Methuen-Campbell's ovaries during an operation without the latter's knowledge.
Methuen-Campbell, who sought treatment for a bowel disorder at the Spire Hospital in Bristol, England in 2016, claimed to have been surprised when she learned after her surgery that the doctor had removed her ovaries.
Methuen-Campbell said that the removal of the ovaries was never discussed prior to her operation. She said that the doctor thought he was doing her a favor when he removed the organs.
When she asked the doctor why he removed her ovaries, the surgeon reportedly said that they were getting in the way.
"He said he thought he'd done me a favour." Methuen-Campbell related. "I said 'Why did you remove them?' and he just said 'They were in the way'."
Suffered From Agonizing Pain After Operations
The procedure left Methuen-Campbell in agony. She experienced pain, which got worse over time. She had a follow-up operation but things became worse. She was later found hanged in her attic.
Swansea assistant coroner Aled Gruffydd said that the death was a suicide, and cited that the operation made the pain worse and affected Methuen-Campbell's mental health.
Methuen-Campbell's ex-partner, Philip Chatfield, said Methuen-Campbell thought there was no way out of the pain. She was desperate to find a solution to her pain, which continued despite seeing other doctors.
Methuen-Campbell's 19-year-old son Angus said that his mother suffered a great deal of pain after her operations and that she was upset about the removal of her ovaries.
Suspended From Two Hospitals
Dixon is now under investigation by the National Health Service and has been suspended from two hospitals. The General Medical Council has also stopped him from performing another form of a corrective surgical procedure called the Starr procedure until November this year.
On his part, Dixon had acknowledged that all operations have potential problems but these were done in good faith and most of these were successful.
Medical Malpractice
Doctors' actions and decisions during surgeries have been the subjects of medical malpractice lawsuits. In 2016, a woman sued a surgeon for a phone conversation while operating on her.
A Pennsylvania man, on the other hand, was awarded $870,000 after his doctor removed the wrong testicle during surgery.
