A baby girl will have to use a catheter for the rest of her life after a surgeon accidentally removed 90 per cent of her bladder, a disciplinary panel heard.

Dr Pierina Kapur, 43, mistakenly removed the majority of the tot’s bladder when she was trying to repair a hernia.

The consultant paediatric surgeon admitted the blunder, which happened while she worked at Manchester Children’s Hospital in Pendlebury.

The infant, from Salford, was seven weeks old in October 2008, when she was admitted for repairs to hernias on each side of her stomach.

Following the operation she did not pass urine for more than 35 hours and developed a rash and high temperature.

The General Medical Council panel heard that the patient, now 18 months old, has had several procedures since Dr Kapur’s mistake, and will now rely on a catheter tube to pass urine for the rest of her life.

Dr Kapur admitted that her actions during the operation were below the standard to be expected of a reasonably competent consultant paediatric surgeon.

But denied misconduct when she appeared at the fitness to practise hearing in Manchester.

Catherine Cundy, representing the GMC, said the tot – known only as Baby A to protect her identity – was admitted with the hernia problem and constipation in October, 2008.

Miss Kapur was supposed to repair the patient’s left hernial sac, with assistant registrar Ian Hennessey.

Dr Hennessey – who worked on the right side of the stomach as a learning experience – told the hearing that it was ‘clearly a difficult hernia’ and the operation took over an hour.

Dr Kapur completed the operation and Baby A was returned to the ward.

Miss Cundy said that after the surgery the baby developed a rash and a temperature, and after an ultrasound could not find a full bladder, she was taken into intensive care.

It was found she had renal failure and dangerously high levels of potassium in her system.

“During this second, lengthy operation it was discovered that 90 percent of Baby A’s bladder had been removed,” Miss Cundy added.

She said Baby A needed further operations to deal with the problem adding: “She will have to undergo further surgery and will be catheterised for the rest of her life.” Miss Kapur, a consultant paediatric and neonatal surgeon, admitted causing damage to both ureters – tubes which urine passes from the kidney to the bladder.

She denies that after the operation she did not take steps for an ultrasound scan of Baby A’s abdomen and urinary tract, and blood tests to check Baby A’s kidney function.

The panel was shown footage, specially filmed for the hearing, of a hernia operation carried out properly.

Proceeding