Florida Man Gets Surgery Performed On Wrong Testicle

Nobody wants to have surgery done on the wrong body part—especially the wrong testicle. Unfortunately, this was the case for a Florida man, whose urologist removed his right testicle instead of the left one.

The urologist was ordered by the Department of Health to pay a $2,500 fine for the medical malpractice. The board made the decision in June, nearly two years after the incident.

The patient was scheduled to have a varicocelectomy on the left testicle. A varicocelectomy is a type of surgery that removes swollen veins from the scrotum. These swollen veins can cause pain and even male infertility. There are no medications to remove the veins, so doctors often remove them surgically.

On September 10, 2019, the patient showed up for a varicocelectomy, which would remove the enlarged veins in his left testicle. His doctor was a urologist, who had only been licensed to practice in Florida since April 2019. He had just completed his urology residency at the University of Puerto Rico.

During the operation, while operating on the right testicle, the doctor realized that the patient. had actually consented to a left-testicle varicocelectomy. So the urologist proceeded to operate on the other procedure.

The doctor was disciplined by the Department of Health. They issued a $2,500 fine and he must pay an additional $2,045.56 to reimburse the department for case-related administrative costs. In addition, the surgeon is required to take a five-hour CME course in risk management or attend eight hours of board disciplinary hearings. He is also required to give a one-hour lecture on wrong-site surgeries at a medical facility approved by the board.

Wrong-Site Surgery

Wrong-site surgery refers to operations that are performed on the wrong body part, the wrong side of the body, or even the wrong patient. Wrong-site surgery is a serious issue because in the end, the patient could likely end up having both body parts removed. For example, if a doctor performs surgery on the wrong arm, the arm with the issue will have to be removed as well. So the patient is left with no functioning arms. They will then have to adjust to life as a double amputee, which can be much more challenging than having just one arm removed.

While instances of wrong-site surgery are rare, they still happen quite often. In fact, from 2016-2018, they were considered the third-most common medical malpractice event. Wrong-site surgery is also believed to be underreported. Also, many doctors believe these events to be so rare that such errors cannot happen to them. This makes it harder to reduce the occurrence of wrong-site surgeries.

Contact Us Today

While many medical malpractice cases are minor, some can be very serious. Having the wrong body part removed is a serious issue.

If you have been a victim of medical malpractice, the Florida medical malpractice attorneys at Meldon Law can help. We can see if you have a legitimate case for compensation. We have three offices to serve you: Gainesville, Ocala, and Fort Lauderdale. Schedule a free consultation today. Call (800) 373-3000 or fill out the online form.

Resource:

orlandosentinel.com/news/florida/os-ne-florida-doctor-performs-surgery-on-wrong-testicle-20210622-7iuosdlmdvfvrjlmewmt7v5dkm-story.html