GP treatment of seated man 'futile', hearing told

THE ACTIONS of a general practitioner who attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a man who was sitting upright in a chair were “futile”, an expert witness told a fitness-to-practise committee yesterday.

Colin Bradley, general practice professor at University College Cork, said if chest compressions to restart a person’s heart are to be effective, the person would have to be lying flat.

Out-of-hours GP Dr George Dimitrov Georgiev (56), from South Africa, was facing six allegations of professional misconduct and or poor professional performance at the Medical Council yesterday following his treatment of John Dunne in 2009.

Mr Dunne, of Bluebell Road, Dublin 12, died of heart failure in his home shortly after 5am on July 2nd. Dr Georgiev had been called out to the house in his capacity as an out-of-hours GP working for Contractors Medical Bureau.

Prof Bradley said the 15 chest compressions administered by Dr Georgiev were “futile”; they should have been administered for at least five minutes and on a flat surface to be effective.

Dr Georgiev had also been accused of not giving enough help in dealing with Mr Dunne after his death and of being rude and abrupt. He had declined to help Patrick Dunne, Mr Dunne’s son, to lay the body on the floor when he was asked. JP McDowell, solicitor for the Medical Council, said the doctor said he was “reluctant to get involved” because he “had no great experience in handling cadavers”.

Giving evidence earlier yesterday, Mrs Dunne (69) said the doctor had asked her to lift her husband into an upright position. She was also upset that the doctor told her daughter to remove her from the room. And she said she heard the doctor shouting at her husband to “stay with us”.

“I’ve met every kind of doctor from every part of the world but I never seen anyone treated the way he treated my husband,” she said.

Frances Magee, the Dunnes’ daughter, arrived at the house and was calming her mother in the front garden when Dr Georgiev tapped her on the shoulder and told her he’d cancelled the ambulance.

“I said ‘why? Is my Dad dead?’ He said ‘yes’ and he proceeded to walk down the garden,” she said. She would not have left her father’s side if she had known he was dying, she said.

Dr Georgiev, who was connected by video link to the hearing room from South Africa, took notes as witnesses spoke. The hearing continues.