California Weight Loss Surgeon Charged with Gross Negligence

By Brittany Golledge

Published on August 02, 2005

The Medical Board of California is seeking to lift the medical license of Dr. Terry L. Sanderfer, who stands accused of incompetence and negligent patient care.

Representatives of the medical board claim that Dr. Sanderfer failed to properly evaluate his patients before and after gastric bypass surgery, and also abandoned many of his patients to the care of others. The doctor is accused of keeping illegible medical notes and incomplete patient histories, as well as failing to respond properly to post-surgery medical issues.

Dr. Sanderfer had previously settled several medical malpractice lawsuits for amounts in excess of $1.2 million. According to court records, he has been sued by former gastric bypass patients more than 20 times. By the doctor's own accounting, 13 of his patients have died from post-surgery complications.

Neither Dr. Sanderfer nor his attorney have issued any statements since the Medical Board of California filed the allegations in late June.

Gastric bypass surgery is a procedure used to reduce the size of the stomach. The surgery is performed on severely overweight patients for weight-loss purposes.

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