I went to see Dr Laurence McEntee after several other doctors refused to operate on me after a disasterous surgery by another doctor, that virtually crippled me, where I had so many misplaced screws digging into me for 4 years. Laurence agreed to do my surgery, removed all those screws, that I am so thankful for, his surgery made me feel so much better, now I am finally on the road to recovery. Thank you so much Dr McEntee.
Beware. Based on my personal experience, I cannot recommend Dr Laurence McEntee. Although he was pleasant and reassuring, I entered surgery with back pain and came out with permanent left-sided paralysis, sensory loss and serious bowel and bladder dysfunction. I now live with worsening neurological pain and severely disrupted sleep. I deeply regret placing my trust in him. - Jeff Testa Reply
On 13 February 2023, I underwent complex lumbar spinal surgery performed by Dr Laurence McEntee at Gold Coast Private Hospital. This review is based on my personal experience and medical information subsequently provided to me.
Before the operation, I had back pain but was physically active, independent and consulting to companies. Some of my original back pain improved following surgery. However, immediately afterwards I experienced a profound neurological change that I had never experienced before.
I repeatedly told doctors and hospital staff that I could not feel anything from the waist down on either side. Sensation gradually returned on my right side, but my left side never recovered properly. I was left with serious sensory loss and weakness, perianal and saddle numbness, bowel and bladder dysfunction and significant mobility problems.
I repeatedly reported these symptoms while in intensive care and during the following days. My recollection is that Dr McEntee reassured me that sensation would return and that I needed to give it time. When it did not, I was later told to allow further periods for recovery. That recovery never occurred.
I was told postoperative imaging showed that the spinal alignment and metalwork appeared satisfactory, but this did not explain the sudden neurological deterioration.
Later contrast MRI imaging reviewed by my current neurologist identified clumping of the cauda equina nerve roots on the left side. I have been advised that this was not evident on my preoperative imaging and that its location corresponds with the neurological problems on my left side that began immediately after surgery.
I have since learned that profound new neurological symptoms involving saddle sensation, lower limb function and bladder or bowel function are regarded as requiring urgent investigation, including specialist assessment and appropriate imaging. I have also learned that where a surgically correctable compression of the cauda equina is identified, earlier decompression generally provides the best opportunity for neurological recovery, with some published medical literature recommending treatment within 48 hours and preferably within 24 hours.
I am not claiming that further surgery within that period would definitely have restored my sensation. My concern is whether the profound neurological loss I reported immediately after surgery was investigated with sufficient urgency while there may still have been an opportunity to identify and treat a reversible cause.
My approximately five week admission to Gold Coast Private Hospital was also extremely distressing. I entered hospital weighing more than 90 kilograms and left weighing approximately 69 kilograms.
During intensive care, I experienced repeated problems with urinary retention and catheterisation. On one occasion, while a doctor was preparing to insert a catheter, I was completely exposed and in considerable pain while two nurses stood in the room having an unrelated personal conversation about their social lives and people they had met the previous night.
I asked the doctor whether this was appropriate given that I was exposed, vulnerable and undergoing an intimate procedure. His initial response was words to the effect that the nurses had “seen it before”. I explained that I did not consider that an acceptable reason to disregard my privacy and dignity. The doctor then asked the nurses to leave.
I found this particularly upsetting because, in my view, they had no clinical reason to remain in the room while having that conversation.
Catheterisation became a repeated experience during my admission. I repeatedly explained that I still had little or no sensation and questioned why the catheter needed to be repeatedly removed and reinserted rather than being left temporarily while my neurological condition was assessed.
Having it inserted on several occasions was painful and distressing, and those experiences remain among the most difficult memories of my admission.
On another occasion, at approximately midnight when the ward appeared extremely quiet, I experienced severe urinary retention and waited approximately 45 to 60 minutes for a catheter.
My recollection is that staff were laughing and making jokes about how much urine my bladder might retain and whether I might have the highest volume drained from a catheter that day.
Given how quiet the ward appeared at that time, I found the length of the delay particularly difficult to understand.
The pain became so severe that I had to get out of bed and go into the corridor to find a nurse and ask why it was taking so long for the catheter to be inserted. I could see the doctor expected to attend to me sitting nearby writing, with no apparent urgency, while I was visibly in significant pain and distress.
I was not rude or aggressive. I was simply asking why I had been left in severe pain and how much longer I would have to wait. My recollection is that I was effectively told that the doctor would attend to me when he was ready.
These were not isolated experiences. The repeated loss of privacy, catheter procedures, severe pain and feelings of helplessness during my admission continue to cause me significant distress and post traumatic stress symptoms today.
I do want to acknowledge that some nurses treated me with compassion and made considerable efforts to care for me. Unfortunately, much of my overall hospital experience felt dismissive, degrading and frightening.
After leaving hospital and completing rehabilitation, I spent much of the following nine months in bed because of severe pain and loss of movement.
More than three years later, my neurological symptoms have not simply remained. In my experience, they are continuing to get progressively worse.
I continue to experience neurological pain, weakness and sensory loss in my left leg, perianal numbness, serious bowel and bladder dysfunction and severely restricted mobility. My walking distance has deteriorated to around 50 metres before I experience significant difficulty.
I continue to exercise and do as much as I physically can in an effort to maintain my strength and prolong my ability to walk independently for as long as possible.
These problems have profoundly affected my independence and professional life. I ultimately began receiving the Disability Support Pension and moved from the Gold Coast to Melbourne so that family could assist me.
My current neurologist has reviewed the comparative imaging. I have been advised by him that, in his professional opinion, the management of my neurological deterioration following surgery amounted to malpractice, and he has indicated that he would be prepared to support that opinion if the matter were examined further.
Dr McEntee was personally pleasant and reassuring. Unfortunately, when I was reporting profound neurological loss immediately after surgery, reassurance alone was not what I needed. I believe I needed urgent investigation, a clear explanation and decisive clinical attention.
Based on my personal experience, the neurological problems that began immediately following the operation and the continuing deterioration in my condition, I cannot recommend Dr Laurence McEntee for complex spinal surgery.
I also believe that the standard of care I personally experienced during my admission to Gold Coast Private Hospital warrants independent scrutiny. - Jeff Testa Reply
