Professional Conduct report November 2021

Dr. Natasha Iyer sanctioned for unprofessional conduct

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Dr. Natasha Iyer, a family physician from Calgary, was found guilty of unprofessional conduct by a CPSA hearing tribunal for failing to adequately recognize and treat her patient’s vascular event.

Background

In 2019, a patient visited Dr. Iyer’s office for an appointment during which Teosyal was injected into the patient’s nose. This led to a vascular event with bleeding and infection, for which Dr. Iyer didn’t advise the patient to seek urgent treatment. Additionally, the consent form used in Dr. Iyer’s office for procedures using Teosyal or Restylane was found to be inadequate, along with the record of any informed consent discussed with the patient.

Dr. Iyer admitted to the charges of unprofessional conduct and agreed to restrict her practice by not performing any filler injections to the nose until given permission by CPSA to do so.

The hearing tribunal accepted a joint submission on sanction and also ordered that Dr. Iyer receive a reprimand, complete a course on the recognition and treatment of vascular occlusion at her own expense, and pay two-thirds of the costs of the investigation and hearing (totaling $12,047.17).

Commentary

Given her acceptance of responsibility and the additional training she has already completed, the sanctions imposed will allow Dr. Iyer to continue serving her patients in a manner consistent with current best practices, particularly relating to informed consent. The reprimand and costs also conveys the seriousness of the conduct to the profession, and highlights the importance of having appropriate protocols and training in place, should any medical procedure result in unexpected complications.