Surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis joked about maggots during a conference in Melbourne.

Surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis joked about maggots during a conference in Melbourne.

The surgeon was referring to the experience of his former patient Mark Urquhart,who was interviewed aspart of a joint investigation published byThe Age,Sydney Morning Heraldand60 Minutesinto his medical practice.

Urquhart was an army paratrooper who became a paraplegic after a training accident in 1993. In 2016,Al Muderis amputated both of the former soldier’s legs and performed an osseointegration – a procedure where a titanium rod is inserted into the bone of residual limbs – in an effort to allow him to walk again. The surgeon completed the procedure despite objections from pain specialist Dr Andrew Paterson,who predicted the surgery would be unsuccessful.

When Al Muderis operated on Urquhart’s legs,he left bone exposed,which he unsuccessfully tried to treat with skin grafts before a wound became infected and attracted maggots,according to medical files.

Urquhart repeatedly sought help from Al Muderis but said he was ignored and dismissed. At one point,Al Muderis’ colleague,Dr Kevin Tetsworth,told Urquhart to spray Febreze,an air freshener sold in supermarkets,on the wound.

When questioned about Urquhart’s experience,Al Muderis told this masthead last month maggots were common among osseointegration patients. Later,his media representative posted on a social media patient support group and asked how many people had experienced maggots.

Al Muderis used Friday’s 25-minute speech to present findings from a retrospective study of 30 osseointegration patients,who were able to walk after being wheelchair-bound.

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Of the patients,he said three died (from suicide,heart attack and cancer),30 per cent required revision surgery,one implant was removed and more than half required debridement (a medical procedure to remove infections).

Despite this,Al Muderis told the audience at Crown the surveys suggested the patients were satisfied.

Former paratrooper Mark Urquhart was left in excruciating pain after an operation by Munjed Al Muderis.

Former paratrooper Mark Urquhart was left in excruciating pain after an operation by Munjed Al Muderis.Credit:Scott McNaughton

“The quality of life has improved,the mobility has improved,but it comes at a risk with complications,obviously. But even the patients with complications are still satisfied,” he said.

Fresh leaked text messages from Al Muderis’ head researcher,William Lu,shows there was internal debate at Al Muderis’ clinic about the wording of questionnaires sent to past patients so that answers reflected a certain outcome.

“Munjed wants to highlight the fact that most[of] our patients throw out their wheelchair after getting OI[osseointegration],” Lu wrote in a message to colleague Fred Hernandez – another of the surgeon’s then employees – in 2017.

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Al Muderis has been accused of providing inadequate aftercare to patients to treat complications following osseointegration surgeries he has performed.

In another leaked text message from 2018,Lu told Hernandez there were “lots of risks popping up in the business”.

“He’s[Al Muderis] not caring about patients like he used to. His ward rounds used to be 2 hours,now they’re less than 10 minutes.”

Queensland rehabilitation specialist Dr Saul Geffen has dealt with complaints from Al Muderis’ patients andhas called for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and state regulators,including the Health Care Complaints Commission,to audit Al Muderis’ research.

“His reported complications do not match what I see in patients,” Geffen said. “The regulator needs to complete a full and thorough investigation.”

Al Muderis owns the patent for the implant he prescribes,meaning he benefits financially from maximising the number of surgeries he performs. He disclosed this conflict of interest at the beginning of his Melbourne speech last week,but Geffen has queried whether patients are provided adequate information about other implant systems.

“It’s really important that I give my patients advice based on what’s best for the patient,not what’s best for my pocket,” Geffen said.

“That includes telling them about all the options on offer.”

Urquhart said he was “disgusted” that Al Muderis would joke about maggots.

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“I’m just totally flabbergasted he would even bring it up in conversation,but even as far as joking with his entire group of peers,” he said.

“It’s exactly what he did with me in the room when the doctors laughed at me. Clearly he does not care. Me speaking out did not change a thing.”

Al Muderis has been contacted for comment since Friday’s speech.

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