A tribunal has found that a surgeon at Southmead Hospital and Spire Hospital, Bristol made a number of failures which left patients in “agony”. Tony Dixon, who used artificial mesh to treat prolapsed bowels, failed to adequately investigate symptoms, failed to obtain informed consent, and failed to trial alternative treatment methods, according to a report. The General Medical Council (GMC) brought the case against Mr Dixon after treating more than 200 patients. Mr Dixon denies the allegations and maintains that any surgery can result in complications.
The tribunal considered reports made between 2010 and 2016, including allegations revealed by the BBC in 2017. Following the report, Southmead Hospital carried out a review which found that 203 mesh operations conducted by Mr Dixon were unnecessary and non-surgical treatments should have been offered instead. Mr Dixon used a technique known as mesh rectopexy to treat bowel problems. The procedure involves placing mesh implants into the body to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence in women.
Sam Van Der Heijden, a patient treated by Mr Dixon at Spire Hospital in 2011, described him as a “very cruel man” without “compassion” or “empathy” for his patients. Mr Dixon carried out a manual examination for rectal prolapse without a chaperone and failed to advise her properly of the risks of the operation, the tribunal found. Consequently, another major surgery was required to remove her dead colon. Ms Van Der Heijden now lives with a stoma bag and has developed pancreatic insufficiency, as well as bile acid malabsorption.
Jennifer Hill, another patient of Mr Dixon, was also left with lifelong pain and stomach problems after undergoing mesh surgery at Spire Hospital. The procedure was intended to treat her irritable bowel syndrome in 2012. The tribunal found that Mr Dixon made inappropriate references to Mrs Hill’s sex life to her husband and dismissed her pain and fl
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More