A Kentucky doctor was arrested after allegedly showing up intoxicated to perform a surgical procedure, Lex18 reported.
Cosmetic surgeon Theodore Gerstle allegedly arrived around noon on Monday, Jan. 15, at a hospital in Lexington, due to perform what would have been his only surgery that day.
But he never made it into the operating room.
According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Ruth Ann Childers, a spokesperson for Baptist Health Lexington, said that Gerstle raised the suspicion of an unnamed individual on the premises. He was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. Childers said the surgeon was confronted by the chief medical officer about the suspected intoxication, prompting Gerstle to leave the premises.
The police were called and the doctor was arrested near the hospital, WKYT reported.
In a statement, Childers pledged to investigate the incident. “Patient safety is always our number one concern. This will be thoroughly investigated,” said Childers in a statement.
Speaking to WKYT, Childers also said that Gerstle has been suspended from practicing at Baptist Health Lexington, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Gerstle was booked at the Fayette County jail on a charge of alcohol intoxication in a public place and has been subsequently released.
The New York native is employed at Lexington Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, according to the organization’s website.
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