HIV guidelines flouted during surgery at GMCH-32, says complaint; probe on

According to the complaint, the surgeon in question did not inform the operation theatre staff about the HIV status of the patient, and therefore the standard protocols for operating on an HIV positive patient were not followed.

The patient was admitted to the ENT ward on August 25 with an ear infection and swelling behind the ear. She was given antibiotics and other treatment in the ward but her condition didn’t improve.

The patient was finally operated upon on September 5. Before operating all patients, it is a protocol that triple H screening is done with a commercially available kit. In the present case, the test was done on the patient who was found to be faintly positive and a subsequent serology sample was sent to the laboratory.

As per protocols, the treating surgeon has to wait for a serology report, and then put the patient’s name on the operating list. But in this case, the surgeon did not wait for the report and instead posted the patient’s name for surgery.

As per the complaint, by the time the surgery was completed, the serology report came as positive and the staff in the operation theatre were left deeply concerned, as no precautions were taken during the surgery.

The OT staff carbolized the OT complex and the instruments that were used, but the linen which was used in the surgery had already been mixed with the laundry of another operation theatre.

The complaint describes the surgery as gross negligence on part of the treating surgeon as the action has exposed the OT staff involved in the operation to the infection.