Medical professionals are held to the highest standards, but a recent case in Austria has raised grave concerns about patient safety and professional conduct. A senior neurosurgeon at Graz Regional Hospital is under arrest following accusations that her 12-year-old daughter assisted in a brain operation on January 13, 2024. The patient’s legal counsel alleges that the surgeon provided her daughter with a drill and instructed her to make a hole in the patient’s cranium for a probe near the surgery’s conclusion. Astonishingly, the defense allegedly pointed to the child’s previous involvement in a ‘gynecological hysterectomy’ as a basis for her participation. While the operation reportedly concluded without immediate complications, the potential for disaster was immense, according to the patient’s lawyer. The defense team has offered a different perspective, admitting the daughter’s presence was unacceptable but asserting she did not perform the drilling. Another lawyer representing the surgeon claimed her age was unknown to the surgeon at the time. Both the neurosurgeon and a colleague face charges of causing minor physical injury, which they deny. The assisting doctor’s statement indicated the daughter asked to help and was permitted to place her hand on the drill under supervision when the main surgeon stepped out briefly. The case is proceeding with its next hearing on December 10, drawing widespread global attention.
