A radiologist is being investigated after scanning his own cat at a hospital in Aosta, Italy, according to a report in the media.
Dr. Gianluca Fanelli took the animal, called Athena, to Umberto Parini hospital in the northern Italian region, where he is a manager of the radiology unit, after she fell from a roof, noted an article posted on 5 February by the Guardian.
The cat reportedly underwent a scan before Fanelli performed pneumothoracic surgery on her in the unit's angiography suite. "She was between life and death," he said. "I knew I could only save her with a quick intervention."
She survived the operation, but the local health authority undertook an internal inquiry into the incident and referred the case to prosecutors in Aosta, who said Fanelli could face charges of wasting public money and depriving patients of essential services, the Guardian continued.
In his defense, Fanelli said he used the hospital equipment after hours, when all the x-rays scheduled for the day had been completed and no other patients were booked in for urgent tests.
"I'm sorry if all of this led to a violation of the rules," he said, adding that he was ready to reimburse the hospital if his actions proved costly. "Being a doctor means carrying out a mission. The driving force is precisely the life that flows in the eyes of those who entrust themselves to your care. And this life flows in every living being. If my cat had died, I would never have been able to forgive myself, especially because my children adore her."
Fanelli is married to Nicoletta Spelgatti, a senator. According to the Guardian, she said: "My husband saved a life. That's it."
