Dr Charlie Teo defends SLAPPING a patient to wake her up from a coma as the controversial surgeon insists it was nothing like Will Smith hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars - after husband of cancer victim says 'we paid $35,000 for my wife to die'

  • Dr Charlie Teo grilled at a disciplinary hearing
  • Neurosurgeon slapped patient to wake her  

Dr Charlie Teo has detailed how he slapped a female patient to try and wake her from a coma after brain surgery but admitted he should not have done so in front of the woman's daughter.  

Despite that, the neurosurgeon repeatedly denied he struck the woman in the aggressive way actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at last year's Oscars.

Dr Teo had cut almost 9cm of tissue from the brain of 'Patient B' before attempting to rouse her from the coma, whose husband said in his original complaint in 2019 'we paid $35,000 for my wife to die'.

The celebrity physician was cross-examined on Monday at a disciplinary hearing against the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) into two surgeries he performed that left patients with catastrophic brain injuries.

Dr Charlie Teo has described slapping a female patient in an attempt to wake her from a coma after brain surgery, admitting he should not have done so in front of the woman's daughter. Dr Teo is pictured on Monday with fiancee Traci Griffiths

Dr Charlie Teo has described slapping a female patient in an attempt to wake her from a coma after brain surgery, admitting he should not have done so in front of the woman's daughter. Dr Teo is pictured on Monday with fiancee Traci Griffiths

Both female patients, named Patient A and Patient B, had terminal brain tumours and were given only weeks or months to live. They were both left in vegetative states and died soon after surgery.

Dr Teo has a reputation for being a brain surgeon willing to perform difficult surgeries and has a legion of supporters, but has come under fire from members of the medical establishment for his alleged behaviour and surgical practices.

During the hearing on Monday, commission counsel Kate Richardson SC grilled Dr Teo about the moment he slapped Patient B in an attempt to wake her from a coma.

'I accept that I slapped her in a medical way rather than in a Will Smith way,' Dr Teo said, demonstrating three short slaps on his own face.

He accepted he slapped Patient B in view of her daughter, and told the hearing that was his only mistake.

'The only error was that you did it in front of the family?' Ms Richardson asked.

'Yes,' Dr Teo replied. 'I would still do it to this day. It's the best way. 

'Pinching can leave bruising, you can damage nerves... but this is the best way to wake them up, if they're going to wake up.'

He continued: 'It is a light slap - it isn't meant to be obnoxious.'

Dr Teo demonstrated the slap to waiting media after his hearing wrapped up on Monday

Dr Teo demonstrated the slap to waiting media after his hearing wrapped up on Monday

Dr Teo repeatedly denied he struck a female patient in the aggressive way actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at last year's Oscars (above)

Dr Teo repeatedly denied he struck a female patient in the aggressive way actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at last year's Oscars (above)

Ms Richardson was unsatisfied with Dr Teo's responses and continued pressing him about the physical contact.

'It wasn't one of those Will Smith slaps,' Dr Teo said. 

'Are we really, are we going to go on about this? I've said it three times - it's a slap to wake her up.'

Ms Richardson then referred to the fact that experts previously told the hearing it was 'inappropriate' to slap a patient. 

Dr Teo said: 'If you framed that question to me like that, of course I would have said it was inappropriate. Is it ever appropriate to slap a patient on the face - you didn't say it was a light slap.'

'I accept the view that if they believe the slap was an aggressive slap - the sort of slap that Will Smith gave to Chris Rock, then yes.'

Mr Richardson urged Dr Teo to look at the transcript of evidence he previously gave. 

'Do they make any reference to Will Smith or Chris Rock?' she asked.

Dr Teo replied: 'No.'

Later that afternoon, Dr Teo doubled-down on his comments when questioned by reporters outside the hearing. 

'Look, it wasn't a Will Smith-style slap,' he said.

The celebrity physician was cross-examined on Monday at a disciplinary hearing against the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) into two surgeries he performed that left patients with catastrophic brain injuries

The celebrity physician was cross-examined on Monday at a disciplinary hearing against the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) into two surgeries he performed that left patients with catastrophic brain injuries

'I can understand how others would think it was a real Will Smith-style slap - painful, nasty, but it wasn't like that - a lot of doctors do that as a way to wake patients up.' 

A panel of legal and medical experts is examining Dr Teo's conduct, including whether he adequately informed his patients of the risks surgery involved.  

Earlier on Monday, Ms Richardson continually suggested to Dr Teo that he left a large portion of tumour inside Patient B's brain but removed a sizeable amount of healthy brain tissue.

Dr Teo denied those suggestions, insisting he looked at the post-operative scans and couldn't see any tumour. He said the patient's tumour was creating so much pressure that it 'bulged' from her head when he started operating.

A member of the HCCC told the hearing that Dr Teo performed a 'frontal lobectomy', and asked why he removed so much 'healthy brain'.

'The largest piece measured 85mm by 50mm, and 30mm in maximum depth,' the committee member said. 'There were other pieces that were 45mm by 35mm by 20mm - which I can assume is a large amount of brain.

'Thirty-eight blocks were cut and pathology [tumour] was only found in two of them.'

Dr Teo explained some of the blocks were healthy brain tissue, but 'most of the tumour goes up into the sucker because it's soft and necrotic'. 

He said a lot of the tissue was sent to pathology to determine whether the tumour had compromised that tissue.

'That doesn't dispute the fact that I took normal brain, I absolutely did,' he added.

Earlier, Dr Teo agreed that operating across the midline was not deliberate, but fired back when asked whether it was an 'accident'

Earlier, Dr Teo agreed that operating across the midline was not deliberate, but fired back when asked whether it was an 'accident'

The hearing was also told Patient B and her husband knew and accepted she would likely experience some memory loss after the operation, and would be paralysed on the left side.

Ms Richardson then read a portion of the husband's complaint about Dr Teo to the hearing, which said: 'When we were told he took too much out of the brain, we were shocked.'

'We were told my wife would never wake up. She died six days later and I never got to say goodbye,' he said.

'We paid $35,000 for my wife to die.'

Dr Teo also alleged Patient B's husband was 'coerced' by other doctors to file a complaint about him - claiming he had a good relationship with the husband and wife prior to the operation.

When asked why he believed the husband was 'coerced' into making a complaint, the surgeon replied: 'I guess it's 40 years of being in practise and dealing with patients who have bad outcomes.'

'My judgement was he was a good chap and if he had questions like that he would have asked me rather than turning it into a formal complaint.'

Ms Richardson continued to question Dr Teo about why he believed the widower was 'hoodwinked' - to the point where he threw his head back in frustration.

'I'm going to say this - you could be absolutely correct and it's a wrong assertion and he wasn't coerced, but knowing I am hated by so many doctors who say pretty malevolent things about me, I can't imagine that a doctor didn't go up to him,' he said.

'I've met the man and had a relationship with him and he is a lovely man and I can't imagine that he did this off his own back.'

He then referred to the meeting where hospital bosses discussed six recent post-operative deaths - including an operation on a benign tumour that resulted in death.

'They didn't report two cases of death but they reported mine,' he said.

The hearing will continue on Tuesday.

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