Brain surgeon arrested in Austria after "letting her 12-year-old daughter drill a hole in a patient's skull"

We just got the news that a brain surgeon in Austria has been arrested after allegedly allowing her 12-year-old daughter to drill a hole in a patient's skull during surgery. After the surgery, she proudly announced that her daughter had just performed her first gynecological hysterectomy, as per Kurier.

The incident reportedly took place on 13 January 2024 at Graz Regional Hospital, where a 33-year-old man was admitted following a traumatic brain injury. The operation was conducted by a senior physician and a neurosurgeon in training, who allegedly brought her daughter into the operating room.

According to the indictment, the surgeon handed her daughter the drill to create a hole for a probe near the end of the procedure. Prosecutor Julia Steiner described the act as "an incredible lack of respect for the patient," stressing that, despite no complications, the risk involved was serious.

The surgeon's lawyer, Bernhard Lehofer, stated the child "did not drill" and that the mother remained in control of the equipment at all times. Another attorney, Michael Kropiunig, representing the senior physician, added that the doctor did not know the child's age and that she only placed her hand over his while he guided the drill.

Both the neurosurgeon and the doctor pleaded not guilty to charges of minor bodily harm at Graz-East District Court on Tuesday. The case, which arose following multiple anonymous reports and had been widely discussed among staff, has been postponed, with the trial scheduled to continue on 10 December.