“I will go all the way”: the patient whose anesthesiologist left the theater for her “lunch break” doesn’t give up

Nelly Kinowski, a 78-year-old retiree, continues the fight. She wants the anesthetist at a hospital in Toulouse, whom she accuses of having had her operation postponed under the pretext of her "lunch break", to be sanctioned. She wrote a letter to the director of the Toulouse University Hospital.

Nelly Kinowski, a 78-year-old retiree, wants to condemn the Rangueil hospital and especially the anesthetist who should have put her to sleep before a surgical procedure, reports La Dépêche du Midi.

"What this lady did is insane. As there was a delay, she decided not to give me anesthesia because it was lunch break, she confided to our colleagues in an article dated April 23, 2024.

"Nothing unusual" for direction

For the hospital management, the anesthetist did not commit any fault: "Delays and various hazards may occur and there is nothing abnormal. The anesthetist chose not to start the anesthesia during this late window, as the procedure had to last longer than 10 minutes. This in a context where there was no loss of opportunity for the patient. This is a way of proceeding that is part of current practices."

"A Question of Honor"

The patient is determined not to give up. "I’make it a matter of honor. I will go to the end. If I win in court, I will donate all damages to an association", Nelly Kinowski told La Dépêche du Midi.

On April 20, she sent a registered letter to the director of the Toulouse University Hospital on which the Rangueil hospital depends and to the president of the establishment medical commission for "request compensation".