A brain surgeon in Austria has been arrested and is now facing a criminal trial after allegedly allowing her 12-year-old daughter to drill a hole in a patient’s skull during surgery. The surgeon denies the claims, saying her comments to colleagues were a result of “maternal pride” and not the truth.
The incident reportedly happened in January 2024 at Graz Regional Hospital in Graz, Austria. A 33-year-old farm worker, who had suffered a serious traumatic brain injury, was admitted for emergency surgery. Two doctors were involved: a senior physician and a neurosurgeon still in training.
According to the indictment, the neurosurgeon brought her young daughter into the operating room. Near the end of the procedure, she allegedly let her daughter drill a hole in the patient’s skull to insert a probe. She later reportedly boasted to nurses that her daughter had been operated on, including what she called a “first gynaecological hysterectomy.” However, this was unrelated and appears to have been exaggerated.
The incident came to light after several hospital staff members made anonymous reports. During the trial, the surgeon denied letting her daughter operate on the patient. She told the court her “biggest mistake was letting her go to the operating table,” but said her boast to nurses was a lie born of “bloody stupid maternal pride.”
However, her junior colleague confirmed that the 12-year-old did assist in drilling the hole, although he said he was always in control of the drill. Prosecutor Julia Steiner criticised the surgeon’s actions, calling them an “incredible disrespect towards the patient.” Steiner also warned of the dangers involved, asking, “What would have happened if the drill had been defective and had not stopped automatically after breaking through the skull bone?” She said the risks in such a situation “cannot be downplayed.”
