At the West L.A. hospital the vet's healthy testicle is removed instead of the potentially cancerous one. He and his wife file a claim.
By Mary Engel, Times Staff Writer
April 4, 2007
Benjamin Houghton had fewer reasons than most to fear the surgery he'd scheduled at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to remove his potentially cancerous left testicle.
For one thing, the 47-year-old Air Force veteran and father of four already knew that he could function normally with a single, healthy testicle.
For another, he was getting his surgery in a system that has prided itself on its pioneering efforts to prevent medical errors. One top VA official said the VA's approach to safety is considered "a benchmark by healthcare organizations throughout the world."
But in Houghton's case, the hospital missed the mark. Last June 14, doctors mistakenly removed the right testicle instead of the left, according to medical records and a claim filed by Houghton and his wife Monica, 39.
Now the couple are seeking about $200,000 for future healthcare costs outside the Department of Veterans Affairs system and an undisclosed amount in damages. Their claim is pending.
Houghton was left deprived of the testosterone the healthy testicle produced, setting him up for potential health complications including ****** dysfunction, depression, fatigue, weight gain and osteoporosis. Within a healthcare system with nationally recognized patient safety innovations, he joined the ranks of hundreds of thousands of Americans each year who are victimized by medical errors.
"At first I thought it was a joke," said Houghton, who recalls being told of the mistake immediately afterward, while he was in recovery. "Then I was shocked. I told them, 'What do I do now?' "
Dr. Dean Norman, chief of staff for the Greater Los Angeles VA system, has formally apologized to Houghton and his wife.
"We are making every attempt that we can to care for Mr. Houghton, but it's in litigation, and that's all we can tell you," he said. Norman added that the hospital has made changes in its practices as a result of the case.
But Houghton, who has received care through the VA since his discharge in 1989, wants nothing more to do with a system that he believes failed him.
