Dr Scott Green, from Sacramento, California, insisted he was “available for trial” as he appeared in the dock from an operating room wearing scrubs and surrounded by beeping medical equipment.

He was facing a charge related to an alleged driving offence, meaning the bizarre incident was livestreamed on YouTube due to laws requiring traffic trials to be open to the public, The Sacramento Bee reports.

Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link told Dr Green: “I do not feel comfortable for the welfare of a patient if you’re in the process of operating that I would put on a trial notwithstanding the fact the officer is here today.”

Although Dr Green insisted he had “another surgeon right here who’s doing the surgery with me, so I can stand here and allow them to do the surgery also”, the trial was rescheduled for a date in March.

The Medical Board of California said it is investigating the incident and reaffirmed it “expects physicians to follow the standard of care when treating their patients”.