<div id="subtitle">Knocked-out patient left in OR after brain surgeon fails to show up</div><div><p>One of the highest-paid doctors in New York refused to perform brain surgery on an already-anesthetized patient whose scheduled surgeon had failed to show up, and the state health department is investigating.</p><p>The surgeon who refused, Dr. Thomas Milhorat, is retiring as chairman of neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital-Long Island Jewish Medical Center, the hospital said Friday in a statement.</p><p>The hospital suspended his and Dr. Paolo Bolognese's clinical practice privileges for two weeks after the cancellation of the April 10 surgery. The hospital said the 73-year-old Milhorat had already been considering retirement and will continue academic and research activities.</p><p>The suspensions expired this week, but neither Milhorat nor Bolognese have commented because they are attending a medical conference in Italy. Neither physician has responded to an e-mail request for comment.</p><p>Claire Pospisil, a spokeswoman for the state Health Department, confirmed the situation was being investigated.</p><p>The unidentified patient was under anesthesia, head shaved, but the 48-year-old Bolognese could not be found, the Daily News of New York reported on Wednesday, citing sources it did not identify.</p><p>Staffers contacted Milhorat, who refused to do the surgery because the woman was not his patient. A North Shore spokesman said the woman later had successful surgery.</p><p>Crain's New York, a leading business publication, identified Milhorat and Bolognese as among the New York City area's top medical earners in 2007, with Milhorat taking in $7.2 million and Bolognese earning $2.4 million.</p><p>They help run North Shore's Chiari Institute, which draws patients worldwide who have a rare congenital brain defect that can cause headaches, dizziness and other pain. It wasn't clear whether the woman whose surgery was canceled had the condition.</p><p>Dr. Lawrence Smith, chief medical officer for the North Shore-LIJ Health System, said in a statement that Milhorat "is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost experts on Chiari malformation, and his surgical expertise has benefitted thousands of patients around the world."</p><p>Milhorat joined the North Shore-LIJ Health System in 2002 and has been practicing medicine since 1961.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=49888858&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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