Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2007/12/19/surgery_snap/
US surgeon snaps patient's tattooed todger
Disciplinary hearing for 'Hot Rod' mobe pic sawbones
Posted in Bootnotes, 19th December 2007 14:36 GMT
An Arizona surgeon who used a mobile phone to photograph a patient's wedding tackle during a gallbladder operation may face disciplinary action and the wrath of his victim's attorney.
According to the Arizona Republic, Dr Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix was grassed up by a fellow member of staff for snapping Sean Dubowik's todger on 11 December.
The member in question presumably attracted Hansen's attention since it boasts a tattoo reading "Hot Rod", but when he later showed the photo to other members of the surgical staff, one fo them promptly rang the the Arizona Republic and left an anonymous tip-off.
Dubowik, 37, found out about the outrage on Monday, when Mayo Clinic called. He recounted: "I got a strange call after my surgery from a doctor who said there was a problem. He said Hansen was on the phone and would explain."
Although Dubowik immediately though he might be suffering from a post-op complication, Hansen soon assured him that it was nothing more serious than a mobe-todger-snap-outrage-leaked-to-press incident. "He told me he didn't want me to read about it in the newspaper first," Dubowik explained.
While Hansen assured his patient he'd erased the image almost immediately, Dubowik is not best pleased. He said: "It was the most horrible thing I ever went through in my life. They were supposedly the best of the best. I have no complaints about the medical care I was given.
"But now I feel violated, betrayed and disgusted. I've never been in a hospital and (my) first experience is the worst thing ever."
Dubowik added that although he hadn't contacted an attorney as of yesterday, he was seriously considering it. He concluded: "The longer I sit here the angrier I get."
Hansen, meanwhile, was due to be dragged before a disciplinary hearing yesterday. Dr. Joseph Sirven, education director for hospital's parent organisation Mayo Clinic Arizona, said: "The options range from probation to termination. Patient privacy is a serious matter, and photographing someone in this manner without a good reason is something we will investigate down to the last detail."
The Arizona Medical Board declined to comment on whether it had received a complaint about the incident, citing privacy rules.
As the Arizona Republic clarifies: "Under the Arizona Medical Practice Act, unprofessional conduct can include viewing a disrobed patient in the course of treatment if the viewing is not related to diagnosis or treatment. The statute also bans conduct that may be harmful to the health of the patient."
Oh yes, and in case you're wondering just how Dubowik came to have "Hot Rod" inscribed on his spam javelin, the owner of Centerfolds Cabaret topless bar in Phoenix said he'd done it as a $1,000 bet. ®