The trial of two ophthalmologists facing charges after eight patients went blind following cataract surgeries at a private Nicosia hospital reached a critical turning point yesterday.
A 67-year-old nurse, who was on duty during the surgeries on 13 October 2020, gave sworn testimony. The operations tragically resulted in the patients contracting the pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium.
The prosecution presents her testimony as incriminating for the two eye doctors, who are in their 60s. They each face eight counts of reckless and negligent acts, one for each patient.
Proceedings grew heated, particularly during the cross-examination of the witness by defence lawyer Ilias Stefanou. Prosecutor Elena Konstantinou raised several objections, though the situation remained under control.
The prosecution witness repeatedly answered questions before the defence counsel could finish asking them, noting that this was her first time testifying in court. District Judge Pavlos Agapitos intervened calmly, instructing her to wait for the questions to be completed so the stenographer could accurately record the dialogue.
The tension peaked during continuous questioning by Stefanou regarding a specific point in her police statement. The nurse expressed clear displeasure, telling the lawyer that he was trying to make it look like she was not telling the truth.
The lines of argument for both sides became fully clear during the hearing. Under questioning by Konstantinou, the nurse testified that staff used the same Balanced Salt Solution (BSS) eye drops across multiple patients, even though this is not recommended. She also stated that the machine cassette used for the surgeries should have been changed for each of the 10 patients operated on that day. Eight of those 10 patients subsequently lost their sight in one eye.
The witness testified that staff used a new cassette only for the first, fourth, and tenth patients, meaning they used three cassettes instead of 10. The court heard that the two patients who did not contract the bacterium were the fourth and tenth patients, who had new cassettes.
The defence strongly challenged parts of her police statement. Stefanou raised issues regarding what the 67-year-old told officers about operating theatre disinfection and strongly disputed her claim that the eye drops in question only last for one week. He submitted that the drops last much longer, pointing to the manufacturer’s instructions.
During her testimony, the nurse repeatedly cited training she had received in Greece, where she claimed it was made clear that cassettes and other consumables must be changed for every patient.
“Every patient must have their own cassette and their own saline,” she said during cross-examination. She added that she always followed the doctors’ instructions, including on the day in question.
The nurse also testified that the eye drops were stored in a cupboard rather than a refrigerator, repeating her position that pharmacists indicate these drops can be used for up to a week.
A key focus of the cross-examination centred on her statement to police investigators on 6 October 2021, a year after the incident. In response to a question about whether operating theatre 6 had been disinfected with a fogging machine on the day of the surgeries, she had answered “No”, adding that the machine was only used after surgeries finished if necessary.
Under questioning by Stefanou, the witness argued she did not mean the room was unsterilised. She explained that the operating theatres were disinfected the previous day and that she usually gave instructions later in the afternoon before next-morning surgeries for the fogging machine to be used. She admitted she might not have answered the question perfectly but stressed she never meant the room had not been disinfected the day before.
When Stefanou pointed out that four specific eye drops held as evidence have instructions showing a shelf life of three to four weeks rather than one, Konstantinou countered that this was not the witness’s position. The nurse later said she was trying to convey that each patient should have their own bottle.
Stefanou also questioned whether the nurse had met with hospital executives and epidemiologists after the incident but before giving her police statement. The witness recalled only that she had informed her supervisor.
Asked if she was upset when called for questioning as a suspect, the nurse said she felt no agitation.
“I felt no guilt. I did whatever the doctors told me,” she said, noting that her own medical tests all came back negative. She added that when she first heard about the incident months earlier, she was shocked and had tried to recall her actions.
The cross-examination will continue on Monday. Lawyers Ilias Stefanou, Marios Spyrou, and Rebekka Athanasiou appeared for the defendant ophthalmologists.