NSW surgeon banned for six months after botched colonoscopies and patient death
Consensus Summary
Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt, a surgeon with 10 years’ experience, was found guilty of professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and banned from practising for six months. The tribunal investigated her treatment of 13 patients, including a man who died after she operated on the wrong end of his bowel in November 2019 and a woman whose bowel cancer was missed during a rushed colonoscopy. Schmidt performed colonoscopies on roughly 2000 patients between 2018 and 2022, with 1084 undergoing repeat procedures after recall, leading to seven colorectal cancer diagnoses. The tribunal found Schmidt spent as little as five minutes on colonoscopies, failing to adequately capture images or reach the caecum, and admitted to inadequate post-operative care. Schmidt stopped practising for one year after the January 2023 investigation and will return under supervision, completing a colonoscopy recertification program. The tribunal noted her efforts to address concerns but ruled her conduct was a significant departure from accepted standards.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt had her medical registration suspended for six months by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
- The tribunal found Schmidt guilty of professional misconduct over treatment of 13 patients
- Schmidt performed colonoscopies on roughly 2000 of her patients between 2018 and 2022
- 1084 of Schmidt’s patients underwent repeat colonoscopies
- Seven patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer after repeat colonoscopies
- Schmidt failed to detect a 5.5-centimetre adenocarcinoma in a patient during a colonoscopy on February 14
- Schmidt performed colonoscopies in as little as five minutes, with seven procedures ranging from 10 to five minutes
- Schmidt operated on the wrong end of a patient’s bowel during surgery in November 2019, contributing to the patient’s death
- Schmidt admitted to failing to take adequate time to perform colonoscopies and capture images
- Schmidt stopped practising for one year following the January 2023 investigation
- Schmidt has 10 years’ experience as a surgeon
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Schmidt was on call in November 2019 when the man arrived with a life-threatening bowel perforation
- Schmidt failed to disclose her error to the patient and his family after the surgery
- Schmidt spent 16 minutes performing both a colonoscopy and gastroscopy on one patient
- Schmidt’s colonoscopy withdrawal time for seven patients ranged from 10 to five minutes, with colonoscopy withdrawal alone usually taking about eight minutes
- Schmidt’s records did not show that her colonoscopy had reached the caecum in several cases
- Schmidt worked at Albury Wodonga Health, BreastScreen NSW, Tumut District Hospital, and Griffith Base Hospital over the last 17 years
- The patient died nearly four weeks after the surgery in 2019
- Schmidt failed to provide appropriate management and care for a patient with a bowel obstruction
- Schmidt admitted to failing to keep appropriate patient records and notes between 2015 and 2021
- Schmidt was ordered to pay the HCCC's legal costs and undertake further training and supervision
- The patient who died was 79 years old and had a perforated bowel in December 2019
- The tribunal found Schmidt’s conduct in the surgery was significantly below the relevant standard
- The coronial inquest found the patient’s death was due to complications of inflammation, contributed to by Schmidt’s surgical error
- Schmidt’s explanation for rushed colonoscopies was that she was trained to perform them quickly, but the tribunal rejected this
- Schmidt’s colonoscopy procedures were performed or supervised between 2018 and 2022
- Schmidt’s failure to monitor the patient post-surgery was described as 'most egregious' by the tribunal
- Schmidt’s records did not show that her colonoscopy had reached the caecum in several cases
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The SMH and THEAGE mention Schmidt’s error occurred in November 2019, while the GUARDIAN states it occurred in December 2019
- The SMH and THEAGE state Schmidt performed colonoscopies on 2000 patients, while the ABC and GUARDIAN say 'almost 2000'
- The SMH and THEAGE say 1084 patients underwent repeat colonoscopies, while the ABC and GUARDIAN say 'around 1000' or 'about 1000'
- The SMH and THEAGE mention Schmidt failed to detect cancer in seven patients, while the ABC states 'more than a dozen complaints' were lodged against Schmidt
Source Articles
Surgeon banned for six months after patient death, botched colonoscopies
One patient died after the surgeon operated on the wrong end of his bowel, and a woman’s tumour was missed during a colonoscopy.
Surgeon banned after botched bowel op contributes to patient's death
A six-month ban on Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt, who works across multiple hospitals in southern NSW, comes after 13 patient complaints including a missed cancer diagnosis and a "catastrophic error" that contributed to a patient's death.
NSW doctor barred from practising for six months after operating on wrong end of patient’s bowel
Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt found guilty of professional misconduct after tribunal considered complaints about her treatment of 13 patients Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A surgeon has been found guilty of professional misconduct and barred from practising medicine for six months after she failed to detect cancer in one patient and operated on the wrong end of the bowel of another. The New South Wales civil and administrative tribunal considered the treatment of 13 patients
Surgeon banned for six months after patient death, botched colonoscopies
One patient died after the surgeon operated on the wrong end of his bowel, and a woman’s tumour was missed during a colonoscopy.