REGINA — The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) suspended a Regina practitioner for performing surgery on the wrong side of a patient's mouth.
A report from CPSS’s website detailed Dr. Peter Chang meeting a patient in May 2022, outlining a plan to perform surgery on the right side of the patient's mouth to remove a cancerous lesion.
A month later, the CPSS said Chang had excised tissue instead of the left side of the patient's mouth, leaving the cancerous lesion.
The CPSS noted Chang never received consent to remove excess tissue on the right side, only the cancerous lesion.
In June 2023, Chang sent a letter to the CPSS, claiming he read the CT scan before the procedure and felt it was prudent to excise the tissue. He also claimed the patient agreed to the procedure.
Responding to the letter, the CPSS said Chang failed to mention a mistaken impression that the excision was planned for the left side instead of the right.
From their findings, Chang was guilty of three charges under The Medical Profession Act of unbecoming, improper, unprofessional or discreditable, which includes:
- Failing to maintain the standard of practice of the profession by planning to remove a cancerous lesion that he, in fact, left in place;
- Failing to obtain informed consent for the procedure he actually performed;
- Providing false or misleading information to the college.
Chang had admitted to these charges, and the CPSS council imposed the following penalty on him on Jan. 23.
- A one-month suspension commencing Jan. 25;
- written reprimand;
- Pay the costs of an incidental to the investigation of $9,007.04 on or before Feb. 24.
