RI Veterinarian Sanctioned After Leaving Surgical Instruments in St. Bernard Puppy

RI Veterinarian Sanctioned After Leaving Surgical Instruments in St. Bernard Puppy

GoLocal has secured a copy of a disciplinary report by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), which unveils that a Rhode Island veterinarian has been placed on probation for two years.

Deborah Hirschmann "at all relevant times" worked as a contract veterinarian at the Rhode Island Animal Medical Center in Warwick, said RIDOH. 

According to RIDOH, “On or about August 31, 2022, Hirschmann performed a spay and gastropexy on a 12· to 18-week-old [purebred] female St. Bernard puppy, hereinafter known as Patient Number 1. The procedures were considered routine and did not result in post-operative complications.”

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“Nearly two years later, on or around May 10, 2024, Patient Number 1 presented to the Lincoln Animal Hospital with gastrointestinal sickness, vomiting, lethargy, and overall weakness. She was treated and released with instructions provided to her owners to monitor for changes and to bring her to Ocean State Veterinary Specialists ("OSVS") if her condition worsened," according to RIDOH.

Then, “on May 16, 2024, the owners brought Patient Number 1 to OSVS in a deteriorated state. A radiograph noted obstructed intestines with foreign objects later confirmed (by a necroscopy aka ''autopsy") to be a cloth (gauze) wrapped around a surgical instrument (hemostats)."

“On or around September 26, 2024, the Department received a complaint alleging gross negligence against Hirschmann,” according to RIDOH. “That on or around September 27, 2024, RIDOH undertook an investigation on the complaint.”

 

 

Findings by RIDOH’s Board of Veterinary Medicine

“On October 21, 2024, the Board of Veterinary Medicine unanimously determined that (without admitting to the allegations) Hirschmann recognizes that foreign objects were inadvertently left in the abdomen of Patient Number 1 during the 2022 surgery,” found the Board.

According to the Board, “Hirschmann’s veterinarian license will be subject to a 24-month period of probation and shall reflect the status of"Active Probation."

Further, Hirschmann is required to complete other professional training during her probation.

Hirshmann agreed to the Board’s sanctions, and the agreement was executed on Friday, December 27.