Austrian surgeon fined for amputating wrong leg

A surgeon in Austria has been fined after he amputated the wrong leg of a patient. An elderly patient's left leg was to be removed. But, the surgeon removed his right leg in a surgery that took place in May 2020. The error was discovered two days later. The surgeon was fined €2,700 ($3,056) for gross negligence.

The 43-year-old said there was a flaw in the chain of command in the operating theatre. The widow of the patient, who died before the case was presented in front of court was given €5,000 ($5,659) in damages. The error came to light when the 82-year-old patient came in for a routine bandage check and was told that he would need to get his other leg amputated as well. At the time, the director of the hospital made an apology at a news conference.

After the incident the surgeon was moved to another clinic. And half of her fine has been suspended.