Surgeon Suspended For Removing Wrong Testicle, Kidney, And Accidentally Cutting An Artery

A ROCKHAMPTON surgeon who removed the wrong kidney was operating on a patient with a “contorted” spine and an anatomy so abnormal both kidneys may have been positioned on one side of the body.

The Medical Board of Australia on Friday reinstated the registration of Spanish-trained urologist Dr Antonio Vega Vega, subject to supervision, after it was suspended on May 9 following revelations he removed a patient’s right kidney, instead of the left.

Dr Vega Vega appealed against the imposition of the conditions at a hearing of the Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal yesterday.

In questioning by his barrister Stephen Keim, Dr Vega Vega said the patient had particular complications, including an abnormal anatomy caused by spina bifida and a history of infection.

Dr Vega Vega said he had no doubt he had removed the correct kidney following the operation as it was infected and “sitting in the left side”.

He said he had performed at least five to 10 cases over the past four years of a similar level of complexity and none produced an adverse outcome.

Head of Urology at the Royal Melbourne Hospital Professor Anthony Costello said the surgical procedure was “highly complex” for urology because the patient was so “contorted”.

Judge Alexander Hornemann-Wren QC will hand down the Tribunal’s decision on Friday.

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