An external investigation will review previous treatments at Rigshospitalet's department for transplantation and diseases of the digestive system, after three senior doctors were fired, DR reported. The decision came at a crisis meeting on Monday between hospital management and politicians on Region Hovedstaden's executive committee, held in building 12 at Bispebjerg Hospital, according to Politiken.
According to the minutes from the meeting, the review will clarify whether "scientific practice for protocol recording of experimental surgery has been set aside", and which guidelines should be followed so that it does not happen again. The department is the only one in the country that performs liver transplants.
Lars Gaardhøj (S), chairman of the regional council, called the meeting. He said: "It can be many things. It may be that the patient has not been informed well enough or the like, but that is what we are now asking fresh eyes to look at. He added: "If there is something that needs tightening up, let us get it out now."
Christoffer Buster Reinhardt (K), chairman of the health committee in Region Hovedstaden, attended the meeting. "We are told that experimental surgery has taken place, and that it happened without the patient's consent, and that it happened without protocol," he said.
Bjarne Hjaltalin, chairman of the senior doctors' association Overlægeforeningen, said the news came as a surprise: "This is completely new information, which was also not present in connection with the dismissals that Rigshospitalet has made. He said he did not think it was "a proper way to treat the doctors in question". Two of the fired specialists declined to comment and referred to their union.
The Danish Patient Safety Authority told DR: "We are following the case and currently awaiting the statement that we have requested from Rigshospitalet, including how patient safety and treatment quality are safeguarded in a period of possible reduced staffing. Berlingske reported that several staff groups have sent letters of concern about patient safety at the department.