Last August, a four-year-old boy with a persistent hernia problem was admitted to Texas Children's Hospital for laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive technique. Unfortunately, the surgeon cut the wrong part of the anatomy and left the boy with a partial vasectomy. Per Click2Houston, the boy's family is now suing both the hospital and the surgeon for up to $1 million. The lawsuit claims the surgeon "breached the standard of care by failing to exercise ordinary care." As a result, the boy will "more than likely contend with fertility issues later in life" and face "future medical expenses, future pain, mental anguish, future disfigurement, physical impairment, and future expenses for fertility treatments."
According to ABC 13, the surgeon—named in the suit as Dr. Susan L. Jarosz—and the hospital's risk management staff "advised the family of what happened and the possible short- and long-term consequences of this injury." The family's lawyers said, "While apologies were given, full accountability was not accepted. The parents now face the difficult task of explaining this to their son at the appropriate age." Fox 4 reports that the surgeon allegedly cut the boy's vas deferens, a tube that carries semen. Houston attorney Randy Sorrels said, "It's not a common mistake at all. Before a doctor transects or cuts any part of the anatomy, they are supposed to positively identify what the anatomy is and then cut. Here, the doctor failed to accurately identify the anatomy."
The partial vasectomy can probably be reversed, but it will require additional surgery. Dr. Jarosz is also an assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine; records show she has no history of malpractice or other reported issues. In a statement on the matter, the hospital said, "Texas Children’s Hospital’s top priority is the health and wellbeing of our patients. Due to patient privacy requirements, we are unable to comment." (More laparoscopy stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
