Iowa doctor accused of sterilizing woman against her will

It is rather unusual for a general surgeon in 2008 to perform a tubal ligation (as long as an OB-GYN physician is on the Staff of that Iowa Falls Hospital). The fact that the patient has indicated she told Dr. Pfalzgraff that she did not want the procedure is meaningless, if she cannot provide evidence for such a conversation (and the content of it).
The minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Medical Examiners Board – as referenced by Lynda Waddington – are not available.
If the patient was not scheduled for other surgery at that time but solely for a tubal ligation, then the hospital – thru their Anesthesiologist and the Operating Room Staff – will be in big trouble. An Admitting Nurse (in a location different from the Operating Room) is charged with a standard “pre-operative assessment”, which includes verification of a properly executed “Operative Permit”.
The patient should never have been sent to the Operating room and certainly should not have been accepted by the Operating Room Staff.

Both Max-1 and I need more info. One wonders how the patient ever got to be admitted to the hospital without proper paperwork ( the important “paper” here refers to a so-called History and Physical). The “History” will detail the reason for that particular hospital admission. In these litigious times the admitting physian should be expected to provide in the “History” adequate data as to the patient's understanding of the reason and risk of anesthesia as well as the planned operative procedure. Although I mentioned previously that the Admitting Nurse and the Operating Room Team have to check the Informed Consent thoroughly, it also should be pointed out that a “History and Physical” are expected as part of the Medical Record. My wife – while I am writing this comment – said:” What kind of a hospital was she in? Rinky-Dink General?”