Doctor to Represent Himself in Screwdriver Lawsuit

By Brittany Golledge

Published on February 17, 2006

Dr. Robert Ricketson, who has elected to represent himself in the lawsuit, explained to jurors in a Hilo court that he had no choice but to insert the screwdriver. According to Dr. Ricketson, the titanium rods meant to stabilize the patient's spine were missing from the operating room. Though a new rod was being flown from a nearby island, Ricketson decided to improvise with a nearby screwdriver of the same diameter as the titanium rod, fearing that if he waited several hours the patient would die on the table.

According to testimony, the screwdriver shaft broke in the patient's spine just a few days after the procedure. Despite going through three corrective surgeries after the incident, the patient, Arturo Iturralde, died two years later. Iturralde was bedridden and lost the use of his legs until his eventual death in 2003.

Court documents reveal that Ricketson's medical license had been suspended or revoked in several states prior to him being granted a license to perform surgery in Hawaii. He has also admitted to a narcotics addiction and writing false prescriptions to obtain drugs.

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