Los Angeles surgeon Robert Bonilla, MD, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the case of a home-clinic gallbladder surgery gone horribly wrong.
In June 2008, 30-year-old Osvaldo Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, paid Dr. Bonilla in cash to perform his mini-cholecystectomy in a home clinic where the surgeon regularly treated patients who couldn't afford care elsewhere. Three medical assistants but no anesthesia providers were present, and Dr. Bonilla used lidocaine to get around a state law prohibiting surgeries under general anesthesia from being performed outside a hospital or accredited surgery center setting.
Mr. Hernandez went into cardiac arrest soon after the first incision and died after Dr. Bonilla tried for several hours to revive him. The surgeon never called 911 and eventually called a funeral home to pick up Mr. Hernandez's body.
Investigators and prosecutors argued that the setting of the surgery and Dr. Bonilla's decisions before and after he injected Mr. Hernandez with a fatal dose of lidocaine contributed to the patient's death, reports the Los Angeles Times. They also suggested that the doctor's actions pointed to an attempt to cover up what had happened.
Dr. Bonilla's attorney argued that Mr. Hernandez's death was the result of an accident or an allergic reaction to the lidocaine, and that the surgeon did all he could to save his patient.
After more than 4 days of deliberation, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury convicted Dr. Bonilla of involuntary manslaughter. He's currently free on bail and is scheduled for sentencing on March 25.
Irene Tsikitas
