- Dr Elliot Shevel, who founded The Headache Clinic in Johannesburg, has been suspended.
- It is understood to relate to the deaths of two of his patients.
- Shevel said while inferences could be made into the mechanism of what may have happened, the “chain of events is still not certain”.
Internationally renowned doctor and headache specialist Dr Elliot Shevel has been suspended from practicing by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, amid an investigation into the deaths of two of his patients.
HPCSA spokesperson Priscilla Sekhonyana confirmed the suspension to News24, saying this was pending the institution of a formal inquiry.
“[It is alleged] he was posing harm or risk as a result of unsafe professional practice or substantial risk of such harm or injury. His conduct indicates that the members of the public might be at risk should he continue to practice his profession,” she said.
The 81-year-old Shevel, a maxillo-facial and oral surgeon, started The Headache Clinic in 1992 and has served as its medical director ever since.
A regular on TV and contributor to health-related articles, he has spoken at various local and international summits and conferences on his research and experience.
The HPCSA would not confirm the identity of the complainant/s.
However, News24 is in possession of a recording in which Shevel’s staff are informed of his suspension, which is related to the deaths of two patients. One died three years ago and another in June under similar circumstances.
The first patient referred to was Marinella Avvakoumides, 38, who was hospitalised hours after being treated at his clinic in 2021. She died eight days later.
The family of the Avvakoumides, the academic director of a Cape Town fashion school, approached the medical watchdog to investigate the possibility of professional misconduct or negligence as the cause of their loved one’s death.
According to the complaint, lodged by Marinella’s brother Andrew, which News24 has seen, she had suffered from recurrent severe headaches for which she had visited several doctors.
She had decided to consult with Shevel after finding him online and underwent the so-called “Shevel Desensitisation Procedure” in June that year.
According to The Headache Clinic’s website, the “very precise” practice uses a cautery needle to permanently numb the pain signals from the tendons that connect the neck muscles to the skull at the back of the head. This while allowing the tendons to continue to function normally.
Patients supposedly come from around the world for this treatment, which Shevel is said to have developed after decades of research.
The treatment — which ostensibly has an “exceptionally high success rate” and which claims to permanently eliminate headache pain in most patients — takes around 20 to 45 minutes under local anaesthesia.
But according to Andrew’s complaint, which News24 has seen, his sister’s headaches persisted.
She was told to return for a second desensitisation procedure, for which she travelled from Cape Town back to Johannesburg, scheduled for 15 July 2021, the complaint states.
A friend took her and collected her from the facility that day, where the procedure was performed between about 10:00 and midday, Andrew said.
Upon their return to the friend’s home at about 13:00, Marinella is said to have complained of neck pain. An hour and a half later, she complained of a headache and severe pain. She urged the friend to phone Shevel who advised that she return for an assessment, the complaint reads.
“On the way to Dr Shevel’s rooms, Marinella’s condition deteriorated very rapidly, and [the friend] decided to transport her urgently to Life Fourways Hospital, where she was admitted to the emergency department at 15:05 in a deeply comatose state.”
Andrew’s sister never regained consciousness and she was declared brain dead a few days later.
An autopsy found that her cause of death was “sequelae of intraspinal and intracranial haemorrhage” – essentially bleeding in the spine and brain – with features of surgical intervention consistent with the available history of craniocervical intramuscular injection.
Andrew said he was informed that evidence of nerve and/or brain tissue damage was found.
As far as he knew, his sister had been otherwise healthy, with no significant underlying or previous health problems.
The Avvakoumides family was “devastated with the course of events and the catastrophic outcome associated with the treatment/intervention performed” on Marinella, Andrew said in his complaint. He asked that a “thorough professional review be undertaken” of Shevel’s conduct.
“In particular, [it is requested] that a critical review be undertaken regarding the nature of the so-called Shevel Desensitisation Procedure as a therapy in such cases…” he said.
They are further asking that it be determined whether:
- The procedure constitutes an appropriate and accepted form of treatment that has been validated by the medical profession;
- The procedure was properly performed in respect of the required preparation, the manner it was carried out and the post procedure monitoring and support provided to Marinella; and
- She had received appropriate and adequate information regarding the procedure before it was carried out in terms of possible serious or fatal complications.
When News24 visited the clinic on Friday, a security guard said the facility had been “temporarily closed” for the past two days.
Shevel told News24 he had dedicated the last 30 years of his life to helping thousands of patients “find relief from debilitating pain”.
“These tragedies weigh very heavily on me,” he said, adding that he was “deeply saddened”. He extended his sympathies to the families.
“While inferences can be made into the mechanism of what may have happened, the chain of events is still not certain, nor to what extent they are linked to the procedure. Due to this uncertainty, I understand the committee’s need to take this precautionary step and I am offering my full cooperation.”
Shevel added that no determination of guilt had been made as the matter had not yet been put before a formal inquiry for the facts to be accurately ascertained.
“No proven causative link has been established, nor was the suspension committee tasked with making such a finding. These matters will be thoroughly examined at the forthcoming inquiry,” he said.
Shevel added:
Medical complications, even very serious ones, may arise following any medical procedure, and this does not automatically imply negligence nor that a duty of care was breached.
He confirmed to News24 that he had attended a suspension hearing on Wednesday, where he was verbally informed of the decision.
“I have not yet received a formal written notification and have no further information at present,” he said.
“I am still coming to terms with these tragic events, and I hope for an outcome that gives closure to the families, while allowing the valuable knowledge and experience I have gained over the course of my career to be passed on safely to benefit future generations of headache and migraine sufferers.”