CBS 5 - KPHO Valley doc surrenders license for touching patients

Valley doc surrenders license for touching patients

Anyone who's been put under anesthesia knows how vulnerable you feel.

You have no idea what's going on when you're asleep.

And stories like these certainly don't help ease our fears.

Christopher Church has been an anesthesiologist for 12 years, putting patients to sleep before surgeries while working for Arizona Anesthesia Consultants in Glendale.

What he admitted to doing while some women were knocked out is pretty creepy.

According to Arizona Medical Board records, Church touched a female patient's breasts while she was out .

He admitted that wasn't the best idea.

He then fessed up to doing it three or four other times to other women.

Church surrendered his license and no longer works as an anesthesiologist, but what he's done makes you wonder, what's it like when I'm put under?

"Well I think every patient should expect to be treated with respect when they're asleep,"said Dr. Aubrey Maze with Valley Anesthesiology Consultants.

Dr. Maze works for a different company and said what happened with Church is not OK.

"It's very, very rare. I mean that does occur and when that does occur it is appropriately dealt with," Maze said.

He said when you're sleeping you're surrounded by professionals.

"At no time are you alone.  At no time would you be by yourself with the anesthesiologist in the room," Maze said.

In fact Church's investigation started with a hospital suspending his privileges for touching patients inappropriately.

Bottom line? "You should feel secure enough to know that the anesthesiologist is held to a significant standard," Maze said.

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