Pennsylvania man loses testicle in wrong-site surgery

A 54-year-old man from Pennsylvania recently won a lawsuit for almost $900,000, after his surgeon removed the wrong part of his body. The man experienced chronic testicular pain for 15 years in his right testicle. Although, the man later believed less invasive options were possible, his doctor suggested performing an operation to remove the man’s right testicle. However, the doctor mistakenly removed the man’s left testicle instead.

It is not clear why the physician could not tell the difference between the healthy testicle and the diseased testicle. But, he did note a mistake was made during a post-operative report and during a follow-up visit.

The man subsequently suffered greatly. He has a debilitating fear of moving forward with any other treatment for his condition. He must to keep on living with the diseased testicle or undergo medical treatment that could cause him to lose his diseased testicle. This means he would have to rely on hormone therapy for the rest of his life.

Due to the agony he suffered, the man has filed a lawsuit against the physician. The lawsuit claims the physician displayed “reckless indifference” during the operation. In this case, the jury consisted of 11 females and one male. Deliberations went on for 80 minutes, after which the jury awarded the man $870,000. This award represented past pain and suffering, future pain and suffering and punitive damages.

Wrong-side surgeries occur as much as 2,700 times annually, according to the New York Times. Those who experience surgical accidents, and suffer a worsened condition as a result, deserve to seek compensation. An attorney can help these people assess their case, to determine whether they can move forward with a lawsuit.

Source: Miami Herald, “He had chronic pain his right testicle. His doctor mistakenly removed the left one,” Greg Hadley, June 16, 2017