Surgeon Accused of Covering Up OR Fire That Burned Patient's Breast

A cosmetic surgeon who allegedly started an accidental OR fire during a breast augmentation procedure and then failed to report a superficial burn sustained by the patient denied any attempt to cover up the incident during a hearing before the U.K. General Medical Council last week.

German national Christina Brunner, MD, performed a breast augmentation procedure on a 24-year-old woman on her first day working at the London Welbeck Hospital as a visiting cosmetic surgeon with the Harley Medical Group in September 2008. During the procedure, an electrosurgical device allegedly sparked a fire that spread to surgical drapes covering the patient. The fire left the woman with a "superficial" burn the size of a coin on one of her breasts, according to U.K. media reports.

While the patient was still anesthetized, Dr. Brunner allegedly instructed nurses not to tell anyone or fill out any forms related to the incident, as hospital policy dictates. The surgeon reportedly examined the patient 3 times on a recovery ward and each time failed to inform her about the burn or fill out an incident report.

During her hearing, Dr. Brunner admitted to not telling her patient about the fire but said she did it to protect her. "I think if you come as a young girl to a clinic to go for cosmetic surgery and then you hear about a fire in the theatre, this is absolutely traumatic." She said she was waiting to see if there was a burn before she reported the incident to the patient.

Irene Tsikitas