Obstetrician suspended after research inquiry

The two papers are a case report entitled "Term delivery after intrauterine relocation of an ectopic pregnancy" and a paper entitled "Randomised controlled trial of the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin in recurrent miscarriage associated with polycystic ovaries."

The case report, concerning a 29 year old African woman who had previously had two ectopic pregnancies, described a procedure whereby the fetus in her third ectopic pregnancy was removed and replaced in her uterus. The report, which received wide publicity in the mass media, claims that the pregnancy reached term with no further problems.

The inquiry, which was set up by Sir William Asscher the principal of St George's Hospital Medical School at the request of St George's Healthcare NHS Trust, found no evidence to support the findings reported in the research papers.

The principal of the medical school has now written to the editor of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Professor Geoffrey Chamberlain, asking that the inquiry's finding "now be communicated to the journal's readership."

Professor Chamberlain, who also works at St George's and is president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, is listed as one of the authors of the case report on ectopic pregnancy. Malcolm Pearce is one of the journal's four editors working under Professor Chamberlain. Professor Chamberlain said that the journal's policy was to peer review only papers, not case reports.

"My name was put on the paper, and I agreed to it," said Professor Chamberlain. "I have written to members of the college telling them that is the extent of my complicity. I had no part in the clinical part or the writing up of the paper. I was not involved in any deception. There is an inquiry going on at the college into the publication of these two articles, and it will be independent. I will be cooperating fully with that inquiry."

Sir William Asscher, said in a press statement earlier this week that Professor Chamberlain "showed an error of judgement in allowing his name to go forward as a coauthor of one of the papers but, nevertheless, it is recommended that no further action be taken by the school." Nor will any formal action be taken against two other authors of the papers. Professor Peter Rubin, head of the department of medicine at the University of Nottingham, said: "The practice of heads of department putting their names on papers with which they have had no involvement other than to create the environment in which the research took place is still more widespread than might be imagined."

Dr Drummond Rennie, a deputy editor of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association and a member of the commission on research integrity set up by the US Congress, said that it was not unreasonable for editors to publish their research in their own journal. "But if you publish research in your own journal you should make sure that it is peer reviewed," he said. "I have had research published in JAMA but it was handled completely by other editors and I had no say in any of the deliberations."

At the time that the BMJ went to press the report of the inquiry requested by St George's Healthcare NHS Trust was not available. The trust would not say when it would release the report.

The chief executive of St George's Healthcare, Andrew Dillon, said: "The trust and the medical school have now received the findings of the inquiry. On the basis of this information Mr Pearce has been suspended from duty. The trust and the medical school are considering what further action to take on the matter."

The trust has issued a statement saying that no more details of the inquiry can be provided "because of the prospect of disciplinary action."

Claudia Court
Luisa Dilliner,
BMJ

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