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Maggots do not pose a “major problem” in patients post surgery despite their portrayal, prominent surgeon Munjed Al Muderis has told the Federal Court.
Al Muderis said after Nine broadcast a “sneak peek” of its 60 Minutes episode on September 11, 2022, which featured a former patient who discovered maggots on his surgical wounds, he engaged a public relations professional.
Surgeon Munjed Al Muderis outside court in Sydney this week.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
The court heard that the day after the trailer the PR, Kate Reddin, sought responses on an osseointegration peer support Facebook page from people who had also developed maggots after their surgery.
Osseointegration surgery involves inserting titanium pins into the residual bone of an amputee, allowing prosthetic limbs to be connected.
The Federal Court was shown several responses from people who replied saying that they had.
Al Muderis denied the move was an effort to stave off negative perceptions about maggots in surgical wounds.
“It’s the way maggots have been portrayed as a major disaster,” Al Muderis said. “Maggots are not a major problem.”
Surgeon Munjed Al Muderis and barrister Sue Chrysanthou, SC, at the Federal Court in Sydney earlier this month.Credit: Steven Siewert
The 60 Minutes trailer was aired on September 11, but the show’s broadcast was put back for one week after news broke of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Al Muderis is suing The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes over reports published and aired in September 2022. He alleges the reports convey a range of defamatory meanings, including that he negligently performed osseointegration surgery and provided inadequate aftercare.
Nine, owner of the media outlets, is seeking to rely on a range of defences including a new public interest defence, truth and honest opinion.
Earlier on Friday, Al Muderis’ barrister, Sue Chrysanthou, SC, alleged that Nine had been a party to “concocting complaints” against her client.
Matt Collins, KC, acting for the news outlets, cross-examined Al Muderis about a series of text messages between the surgeon and a patient, Rowena Mattiske.
Mattiske had undergone repeated surgeries including osseointegration and complained to Al Muderis that she had become largely confined to her chair and that her pain had worsened.
“This is a patient in dire circumstances,” Collins said.
“I disagree with this statement,” Al Muderis replied.
Chrysanthou alleged it was “beyond coincidence” that Mattiske had texted Al Muderis in October and November complaining about her condition, after The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes published and aired their reports.
Chrysanthou said another former patient, Mark Urquart, had similarly been happy with Al Muderis’ treatment for years, exchanging “110 pages [worth] of happy messages”.
“And then out of nowhere he’s unhappy,” she told Justice Wendy Abraham.
“We allege that the complaints are concocted from … about May 2022 onwards, and that all the complaints that came through from May 2022 are part of a concocted scheme.”
The Federal Court was earlier shown photographs of Mattiske’s stump, including reddened areas and secretions. The patient had texted photographs of her osseointegration site, saying “smelly muck” had been coming out of it.
Al Muderis said the photographs did “not necessarily” show infection, and “they all [patients] present with this feature” of discharge. “It’s no different to any orifice in the body.”
The hearing continues.
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