High-profile anesthesiologists earning retractions for data, image problems

In July 2021, anesthesiologist John Loadsman of the University of Sydney raised concerns about a clinical trial manuscript. Upon closer inspection of the data, Loadsman discovered that entire blocks were repeated, indicating fraudulent behavior. He informed the corresponding author, Reyhan Polat, and her institution. Over time, Loadsman and others flagged more than two dozen papers by a network of Turkish researchers.

Polat, a professor of anesthesiology and vice president of a national organization, had four of her papers retracted due to data and image issues. Some articles contained impossible anxiety scores, while others had duplicated data. The raw data also revealed duplications. Polat, who led clinical trials, did not respond to requests for comment.

Anesthesiology has faced fabricated research in the past, with five anesthesiologists, including Polat, ranking high on the Retraction Watch Leaderboard. Another sleuth, René Aquarius, joined the investigation, discovering inconsistencies in Ergil's and Polat's work. One 2015 paper contained duplicated standard deviation values, and a histology image suggested copy-pasting.

The 2019 paper, using images from earlier publications, has since been retracted. Ergil claimed she relied on the pathologist's work and had no knowledge of the duplications. The publishing house and the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care are reviewing the concerns. Loadsman and Aquarius flagged 30 papers by the same network, with seven involving Ergil or Polat.