Doctor breached medical codes after botched surgery left patient with one lung

A Health and Disability Commissioner report has found a doctor breached three medical codes after mistakenly removing the wrong lung lobe during surgery, leading to severe consequences for the patient.

The man, in his 60s, underwent a minimally invasive procedure in September 2020 to remove a cancerous tumour in his lower left lung, but instead, the surgeon removed the upper left lobe in error.

The mistake, attributed by the doctor to a rare phenomenon called lung torsion, was only discovered after further tests, forcing the removal of the patient’s entire left lung.

The error was not fully disclosed to the patient and his family until after the second surgery.

The patient has since suffered financial losses, a painful recovery, and now faces inoperable cancer in his remaining lung.

Independent clinical advisor Dr Richard Bunton criticized the surgeon’s judgement, calling it a “severe departure from accepted practice”.

The commissioner ruled that the doctor violated the patient’s rights to competent medical care, informed decision-making, and proper consent.

Image credit: Robina Weermeijer