A DOCTOR who gave a three-month-old baby an excessive dose of an inappropriate drug has been found guilty of professional misconduct.
Dr Stephen EK Boateng (53), a locum GP based in Dublin, injected Karson Bates with three times the recommended dose of hyoscine hydrobromide to relieve trapped wind.
Mr Boateng believed he was injecting hyoscine butylbromide, more commonly known as buscopan, which is used for gastrointestinal problems.
Following the injection, the baby began to suffer from dystonic reactions (intermittant and sustained contractions of muscles). His pupils were dilated, his eyes weren’t focusing and his limbs were initially stiff.
The Medical Council fitness-to-practise committee also heard that Mr Boateng inserted a thermometer into the baby’s rectum to relieve gas.
Both incidents occurred on June 23rd, 2006, at Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where Mr Boateng was working as an out-of-hours GP.
The Medical Council yesterday found Mr Boateng guilty of an unnecessary and inappropriate examination of the rectum, of administering an intermuscular injection he knew or ought to have known was inappropriate and of administering an excessive dose of a drug, which all amounted to professional misconduct.
The council recommended he be censured and confined to working as a GP in a group practice. These conditions would be reviewed in two years, said the committee.