Brain Surgeon Out to Lunch; So Is License

A neurosurgeon’s license was suspended after an investigation revealed that he left a patient’s brain exposed for 25 minutes while he got lunch.

The state medical board also said Dr. Raymond Sattler forgot the names of surgical equipment during an operation, told a nurse to drill holes in a patient’s head and work on the outer brain even though she was not trained to do so, and ordered intravenous fluids to be given to him during a procedure because he thought he was going to pass out.

When Sattler left the brain exposed, no other physician was present to care for the patient, the board said.