Operating staff lived “moments of great tension” last week when a 52-year-old surgeon collapsed with a heart attack just as he was getting ready to operate on an already anesthetised patient.
Colleagues at Aveiro Hospital tried desperately to revive António Frias Coutinho, but he was pronounced dead an hour later.
Correio da Manhã newspaper reports that Dr Coutinho had already felt sick the day before and run some texts, but nothing seemed to be wrong.
He was advised to wait for another round of tests before performing any more surgeries, but refused, reportedly saying “his patients could not wait”.
“He was more than just an excellent surgeon who would not leave any patient unattended. He also had good character,” hospital spokesperson Rosa Aparício told Correio da Manhã.
