A surgeon who branded his own initials on to unaware patients' new liver transplants has been told he can continue working within the field.
Simon Bramhall admitted to using an argon beam machine to label his initials on the organs of unconscious patients on the operating table in 2013, according to Birmingham Live.
Bramhall, who worked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, was ordered by Birmingham Crown Court to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and was fined £10,000.
His registration was temporarily suspended in December 2020, however, a review on June 4 found him still fit to practice as a medical professional.
The decision was given in private at a medical tribunal hearing, so no further details were disclosed by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.
Bramhall, of Tarrington in Herefordshire, used a medical instrument called an argon beam coagulator – which seals bleeding blood vessels by directing a beam of electricity on to the area – to inscribe two patients’ livers as they were under general anaesthetic.
The 53-year-old’s actions were only discovered when one of his patients had to have more surgery a week later, leading a different surgeon to spot the liver specialist’s calling card.
Bramhall resigned from his job at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2014 when the act came to light, Birmingham Crown Court was told.
He admitted two counts of assault by beating after denying the more serious charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
At the time, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said in a statement: “The Trust is clear that Mr Bramhall made a mistake in the context of a complex clinical situation and this has been dealt with via the appropriate authorities, including the Trust as his then employer.
“We can reassure his patients that there was no impact whatsoever on the quality of his clinical outcomes."
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