Bungling surgeon nearly killed patient by joining the wrong parts of their organs together

An NHS surgeon has been struck off the medical register after nearly killing a patient by joining the wrong parts of their organs together during an operation.

Dr Yasser Abdel Rahman made the critical error while performing emergency bowel surgery at the Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester.

He connected the incorrect section of the small intestine to the stomach, an expert witness described as "as bad as it gets for a consultant surgeon."

The procedure was deemed a "totally unconventional operation that is not compatible with life."

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found Dr Abdel Rahman guilty of serious professional misconduct and removed him from the register.

Dr Abdel Rahman, who qualified in Egypt in 1993, was a locum who had worked at the hospital for only a few days before operating on the patient on 25 August 2020.

The patient had a tumour in his small bowel and a "perforated necrotic loop of small bowel".

During the five-hour procedure, Dr Abdel Rahman cut the small bowel, leaving two "ends", and then joined the intestine to the stomach.

However, he attached the wrong section, creating a "closed loop" that left the patient's bowel contents with "nowhere to go apart from back into the stomach in a circular fashion."

The patient suffered uncontrollable pain, vomiting, and had no bowel movement for three weeks.

Despite this, Dr Abdel Rahman told the patient's parents the surgery had been a success and said he would send their son home "straight away" once his pain was managed.

A nurse noted that Dr Abdel Rahman appeared "unconcerned" by the lack of bowel movements and was "dismissive" of her concerns.

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Consultant surgeon Anthony Rate took over the patient's care on September 15 after family members and nursing staff raised concerns, and a second emergency operation revealed the full extent of the errors.

Mr Rate salvaged some of the bowel and gave the patient a stoma.

Expert witness Anthony Blower, a former consultant colorectal surgeon, said the procedure was "at the extreme end of surgical error."

He said: "Dr Abdel Rahman's procedure can at best be described as bizarre and was a totally unconventional operation that is not compatible with life."

Mr Blower stated the operation was "not known to man" and would have "led directly to the patient's death" without Mr Rate's intervention.

The tribunal found no evidence of remorse, empathy, or recognition of the impact on the patient and his family, noting there was no attempt at an apology.

Dr Abdel Rahman instead claimed there was a "witch hunt" against him and that the hospital was "pointing the finger of blame" at him.

He insisted he had "30 years of an unblemished record. Without a single complaint. Ever."

The tribunal also found he breached conditions placed on his registration in July 2021 by working as a locum at a clinic in Ireland without informing the GMC.

He was struck off the register, with an immediate suspension order imposed pending any appeal.

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