A surgeon at a London hospital has been suspended for 12 months after a medical tribunal found that he injured a patient’s small bowel during surgery, abandoned another procedure and consumed alcohol while on duty.
Dr Aleksandras Uzkalnis, a former consultant in general surgery at University Hospital Lewisham, was found to have committed multiple acts of misconduct following a hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.
The tribunal examined two surgical procedures carried out in February 2024, as well as concerns about the surgeon’s conduct and his handling of complications.
During the first procedure, Uzkalnis was supervising a junior doctor performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, an operation to remove the gallbladder.
The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors in the UK, alleged that Uzkalnis failed to take over the procedure when necessary and instead abandoned it after a camera port had been inserted.
The tribunal found that the consultant should have taken over if the operation proved too difficult for the specialist registrar. It described his decision to leave without taking control of the procedure as inadequate.
Later that day, Uzkalnis supervised another doctor during an operation intended to repair a spigelian hernia, a type of hernia involving the abdominal wall.
Evidence from a junior colleague who witnessed the procedure indicated that Uzkalnis took over the operation but continued after it became apparent that the patient did not have the suspected hernia.
He proceeded to open the peritoneal cavity, the membrane-lined space within the abdomen, resulting in an injury to the patient’s small bowel.
Uzkalnis subsequently handed the operation back to the junior doctor, reportedly saying, “This is your operation,” before leaving the theatre.
The tribunal heard that, given the complexity of the case and the bowel injury, the consultant should have remained to complete the surgery or continued supervising the procedure.
Uzkalnis admitted leaving the junior colleague to finish the operation. During an investigation by the hospital trust, he explained that he went to his office and made coffee after leaving the theatre.
The hearing also found that he failed to discuss the surgical complications with the patient or the patient’s family after the operation and did not apologise.
A witness described the failure to communicate with the patient as care that fell seriously below the expected standard.
The tribunal also examined allegations that Uzkalnis had consumed alcohol while on duty.
The surgeon admitted drinking alcohol that day, telling investigators that he had added brandy to his coffee in his office after leaving the junior doctor to complete the operation.
Other doctors who provided witness statements said they could smell alcohol during surgery. However, the tribunal noted that this could potentially have been explained by other circumstances, including alcohol consumption the previous day.
The hearing found no evidence establishing that Uzkalnis had consumed alcohol before operating, although his admission that he drank alcohol while on duty was considered.
The case also followed an earlier disciplinary issue involving the surgeon. In September 2023, the GMC issued him a warning after he was convicted of drink-driving.
At the conclusion of the misconduct hearing, the tribunal upheld allegations that Uzkalnis consumed alcohol while on duty, injured a patient’s bowel, abandoned a surgical procedure and left the operating theatre during an operation.
His suspension from medical practice took effect on October 15 and will last for 12 months.
