An Austrian neurosurgeon has gone on trial after being accused of allowing her 12-year-old daughter to use a surgical drill on a patient’s skull during an operation earlier this year. The doctor has denied the charge.
The case stems from an incident at Graz Regional Hospital in January 2024, where the surgeon was involved in treating a 33-year-old farm worker who had sustained a severe head injury in a workplace accident. The operation, which was led by two doctors — a senior physician and a trainee neurosurgeon — reportedly took place while the accused doctor’s daughter was present inside the operating theatre.
According to Austrian newspaper Kurier, prosecutors alleged that towards the end of the procedure, the surgeon permitted her daughter to drill a hole in the patient’s skull for the insertion of a probe. The indictment claimed that she later told nursing staff that her daughter had “just completed her first gynaecological hysterectomy” — a remark investigators later cited in the case.
Following the operation, anonymous reports from hospital staff prompted an internal investigation, leading to formal legal proceedings.
During the trial, the neurosurgeon rejected the allegation that she had allowed her daughter to carry out the procedure, describing her earlier comments to colleagues as a “bloody stupid expression of maternal pride.” She admitted that her “biggest mistake was letting her go to the operating table” but insisted that her daughter had not handled the drill.
However, a junior colleague testified that the child had, in fact, assisted him in operating the drill, though he maintained that he “was always in control” of the device throughout.
Prosecutor Julia Steiner told the court that the event reflected “incredible disrespect towards the patient,” warning that the risks could not be ignored. “What would have happened if the drill had been defective and had not stopped automatically after breaking through the skull bone?” she said. “The risk cannot be downplayed.”
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