Shocking violent past of prominent Houston surgeon as he’s caught operating on patients while high on cocaine
After testing positive for cocaine use in the operating room, a Houston surgeon’s violent past has now come to light.
Urologist Nathan Robert Starke, MD, has been fired from his job at Houston Methodist Hospital and his medical license temporarily suspended after he tested positive for cocaine and kratom, an opioid-like herb, in October, the local TV station reported Fox 26.
In addition to the doctor’s problems, his long criminal record has now also come to light.
Most recently, he was arrested last year and charged with punching his girlfriend during an incident in which he was accused of throwing her to the ground and chipping her tooth.
But he had already come into contact with the police twice in 2007 and 2017 for alleged drunk driving.
It is unclear whether the hospital where he worked was aware of his legal problems.
However, his job had been monitoring his drug use since 2023, when Starke was suspended for what the hospital called a “disorder,” according to ABC-13 in Houston.
He had participated in drug and alcohol investigations but continued to participate in operations.
Urologist Nathan Robert Starke, MD, has been fired from his job at Houston Methodist Hospital and his medical license has been temporarily suspended
A photo of a jail booking shows Dr. Starke after he was arrested for physically assaulting his girlfriend in Houston
In August and September 2024, he took part in several operations while appearing disabled, colleagues described.
During an operation in August, Starke looked bad during a surgical biopsy of a patient’s prostate.
The following month, Baylor College of Medicine was “absent for all but the last three minutes of an operation for which he was the attending physician,” according to the Texas Medical Board.
His medical license was suspended that same month as he continued to be screened for drugs.
Despite monitoring for drug use, he tested positive for cocaine use in October, and later tested positive for kratom use in a separate test on October 22. KPRC reports this.
Starke signed a voluntary cessation agreement with Houston Methodist on September 16 and he no longer works at the hospital.
The urologist’s medical license was suspended due to the use of cocaine during the operation
Dr. Nathan Robert Starke was arrested in 2007 for driving under the influence
A legal expert says patients treated by Starke could have a hard time taking him to court.
“It’s very difficult to prove medical malpractice in Texas because the law is such that doctors and hospitals are protected under many, many circumstances,” legal analyst Chris Tritico told Fox 26.
‘You have to prove that the doctor was disabled when he operated on you. Then you have to prove that a reduced status has caused you harm.’