A ‘hero’ surgeon has lost a defamation case over news stories criticising his care of patients, including a patient whose wound became infested with maggots.

The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes — all owned by Nine — alleged that orthopaedic surgeon Adjunct Clinical Professor Munjed Al Muderis had used high-pressure sales tactics for amputee patients to undergo osseointegration surgery.

They alleged that the Iraqi refugee, feted for his medical achievements in Australia, had failed to explain the risks of the procedures properly and left patients feeling abandoned when they experienced complications.

The reports covered several patients who had undergone osseointegration surgery, including a former paratrooper who described finding maggots in a post-surgery skin fold.