Oxford couple sues over circumcision mishap

New Haven Register (). Thursday, 24 March 2005.

STAMFORD — An Oxford couple on Wednesday sued a doctor who they say partially amputated their sons penis during a circumcision at St. Vincents Hospital in Bridgeport.

Immediately after his injury last June, the day-old boy was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he underwent reconstructive surgery.

We are bringing this case because we already know this baby has suffered a horrible, life-altering physical injury, but we are still learning about the longterm ramifications of the injury, said Ernest Teitell, one of the boys attorneys. What happened will profoundly affect him as he grows older.

Circumcision, often performed for religious reasons, involves removing foreskin from the penis.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says most complications from the procedure, such as bleeding, are usually minor.

Robin Biondo, the boys mother, said Dr. Daniel S. Gottschall cut off 40 percent of the tip of her sons penis.

It was a very difficult thing to go through to see your newborn child laying there and wondering how much pain he was in and how this is going to affect him, Biondo said.

In 2001, a jury in California awarded $1.42 million to a 7-year-old boy for a botched circumcision..

In another case, the late David Reimer, a Canadian, was born as a boy but raised as a girl after a botched circumcision.

The lawsuit, filed in Bridgeport Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages from Dr. Gottschall, who performed the surgery last June, and his medical and surgical group, Alliance for Womens Health.

Gottschall said he has performed more than 1,000 circumcisions without a problem.

There was a slight tip that was removed, recognized and repaired, Gottschall said. We believe there was a congenital deformity of the penis that made the injury more likely. Because of my diligence, the boy had the repair that was necessary.

The boy, now nine months old, spent about 10 days in the hospital, according to his mother.

Citation:

Oxford couple sues over circumcision mishap. New Haven Register (). 24 March 2005.

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