Yevgeny Vakhtin, a patient in Russia's southern city of Belgorod, died from a blow to his Carotid artery during an assault by his doctor, an autopsy revealed last week, Izvestia newspaper reported Monday.
Investigators said that the results do not exclude the possibility that surgeon Ilya Zelendinov knew about the danger of striking the patient in this sensitive area. However, after beating the 57-year-old patient, the doctor tried to assist him.
Yevgeny Vakhtin was hospitalized in December last year with suspected abdominal bleeding. The patient was drunk and suffered from alcoholism. During a procedure, Vakhtin reportedly kicked a nurse, which led to the assault by the doctor, according to the investigation.
Zelendinov faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
