Dr. Papaiah S Murthy, MD

According to a public notice from the state Department of Health Professions, Murthy, an anesthesiologist from Virginia ...Beach, was accused of failing to appropriately monitor and treat a female patient who had gone in for surgery to have a bunion removed on or about April 21, 2004. It was also alleged that he "fabricated oxygen saturation levels and EKG readings in advance on Patient A's anesthesia record."

While the notice never mentioned Mary Buckley's name, the mother of four boys went in to have a bunion removed at Sentara Bayside Hospital in Virginia Beach on April 21, 2004. Murthy was her anesthesiologist.

Sometime during surgery, Buckley went into distress. She sustained massive brain damage and went into a coma, where she remained until her death in October.

Matt Buckley, Mary's husband, sued Murthy for malpractice and the two sides settled for an undisclosed sum. According to a medical board Web site, Murthy also settled a malpractice claim in 1998.

"I have personally forgiven Dr. Murthy," said Matt Buckley, who has since started the Mary Buckley Foundation to help people with brain injuries. "But I don't think he should be practicing or be allowed to keep his license."

Murthy has maintained that the brain injury was caused not by an error, but by an unforeseen allergic reaction to the anesthesia.

"Unexpected complications from anesthesia could happen to anyone," said Murthy, who said he had practiced for 26 years before retiring in 2006. Though he retains his license, Murthy said Wednesday he did not expect to work as an anesthesiologist ever again.

Murthy said that while the complications were not his fault, he admitted that it was a mistake to "pre-write" the patient's vital signs as being normal. He said he had seen other anesthesiologists do it and thought that it would be OK in this patient's case because she was healthy and no complications were expected.

But with the record compromised, "How can you convince us you were properly monitoring?" said Jennifer Deschenes, deputy executive director of discipline for the board of medicine.

"In retrospect, it was a big mistake," Murthy said, "and one which I will never ever do again." more details

According to a public notice from the state Department of Health Professions, Murthy, an anesthesiologist from Virginia ...Beach, was accused of failing to appropriately monitor and treat a female patient who had gone in for surgery to have a bunion removed on or about April 21, 2004. It was also alleged that he "fabricated oxygen saturation levels and EKG readings in advance on Patient A's anesthesia record."

While the notice never mentioned Mary Buckley's name, the mother of four boys went in to have a bunion removed at Sentara Bayside Hospital in Virginia Beach on April 21, 2004. Murthy was her anesthesiologist.

Sometime during surgery, Buckley went into distress. She sustained massive brain damage and went into a coma, where she remained until her death in October.

Matt Buckley, Mary's husband, sued Murthy for malpractice and the two sides settled for an undisclosed sum. According to a medical board Web site, Murthy also settled a malpractice claim in 1998.

"I have personally forgiven Dr. Murthy," said Matt Buckley, who has since started the Mary Buckley Foundation to help people with brain injuries. "But I don't think he should be practicing or be allowed to keep his license."

Murthy has maintained that the brain injury was caused not by an error, but by an unforeseen allergic reaction to the anesthesia.

"Unexpected complications from anesthesia could happen to anyone," said Murthy, who said he had practiced for 26 years before retiring in 2006. Though he retains his license, Murthy said Wednesday he did not expect to work as an anesthesiologist ever again.

Murthy said that while the complications were not his fault, he admitted that it was a mistake to "pre-write" the patient's vital signs as being normal. He said he had seen other anesthesiologists do it and thought that it would be OK in this patient's case because she was healthy and no complications were expected.

But with the record compromised, "How can you convince us you were properly monitoring?" said Jennifer Deschenes, deputy executive director of discipline for the board of medicine.

"In retrospect, it was a big mistake," Murthy said, "and one which I will never ever do again." more details

WILLIAMSBURG - Mary Buckley died in October, but another chapter of her story took place Wednesday in a hotel conference... room.

The anesthesiologist in her April 2004 bunion removal surgery was fined $5,000 and reprimanded by the state Board of Medicine for failing to properly monitor her care and "pre-writing" her vital signs.

"I told them the facts," said Dr. Papaiah Murthy, one of two doctors who had hearings Wednesday. "I guess I made certain mistakes, and now I'm paying for it." more details