Plastic surgeon suspended again

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba has again suspended a Winnipeg plastic surgeon who has repeatedly faced complaints and been disciplined for professional misconduct.

Manfred Ziesmann received an interim suspension on Oct. 15 amid the ongoing investigation, Dr. Guillaume Poliquin, assistant registrar of complaints and investigations, confirmed in an email.

“The decision was made in the interest of protecting the public in the interim, pending ongoing proceedings,” he said, citing the Regulated Health Professions Act.

“The chair of the investigations committee may direct the registrar to suspend or place conditions on the investigated member’s registration or certificate of practice pending the outcome of proceedings, if they consider it necessary to protect the public from exposure to serious risk.”

The college said it could not provide further details about the investigation.

The college’s investigations committee is composed of two doctors and a member of the public who does not work in health care. Its role is to review complaints and decide an appropriate outcome. If a complaint is found to be credible, it can result in a disciplinary hearing in which the details of the investigation are compiled in a public report.

The latest investigation into Ziesmann has not progressed to that stage.

“The suspension is not a result of an inquiry panel decision; therefore, there is no resolution order and reasons for the decision,” Poliquin said.

At a hearing on March 24, Ziesmann received a six-week suspension and was ordered to pay about $34,000 after three patients complained about post-operative complications from breast augmentations and other surgeries.

He admitted to displaying a “lack of skill, knowledge and judgment in the practice of medicine” in relation to the complaints, a disciplinary report released by the college in May says.

The college confirmed it limited his practice after the hearing by restricting him from performing any surgery unless an appropriately skilled co-surgeon was in attendance and had endorsed his surgical plan.

He was required to report to the college within 48 hours if any complications or “significant deviations from the expected clinical course” occurred during surgery or after the operation, the college said.

He was ordered to meet monthly with a practice monitor who would review his care and report to the college. In the event of a complication, he was to consult with his practice monitor to manage the issue as soon as possible.

The report says the college launched its previous investigation after patients accused Ziesmann of poor communication, record keeping and after-care.

One case involved a patient who suffered “necrosis of the nipple and areola” after surgery in April 2022.

The woman met with Ziesmann to correct asymmetry with her breasts (caused by a different operation and doctor). She signed a consent form allowing him to insert a larger implant in her right breast and a smaller implant on the left, the report said.

“During the course of surgery, Dr. Ziesmann inserted the larger implant into the left breast and the smaller implant into the right breast, contrary to the consent form,” it said.

Ziesmann admitted he did not collect the patient’s full medical history; failed to adequately inform her about the surgery risks; and inserted implants into opposite breasts without her consent.

In another case, a woman Ziesmann had operated on five times between 2012 and 2022 repeatedly suffered issues with wound healing and scarring.

In April 2023, Ziesmann twice failed to remove a cancerous skin lesion from a patient referred to him by her dermatologist. The dermatologist then referred the patient to a different surgeon, the report said.

Ziesmann registered with the college in 1981 and was licensed as a plastic surgeon in 1987. At the time of the March hearing, he had been the subject of six prior complaints.

In March 2023, the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench ruled in favour of a patient who sued Ziesmann, claiming he ripped a drain from her breast after surgery in 2010 and a piece broke off in her body.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca