A California gynecologist is being sued by a patient after he branded the woman’s uterus with a cauterizing tool following a hysterectomy procedure.
Dr. Red Alinsod admits to the “bizarre behavior,” as described by TSG :
(Patient Ingrid) Paulicivic alleges that the branding was done for “no medically necessary purpose or reason” and that she somehow suffered burns on her legs while the uterus was being marked, according to her complaint. In an interview, Paulicivic’s lawyer, Devan Mullins, called the branding “inexcusably bizarre behavior,” adding that the 50-year-old Alinsod was “fooling around and having fun.”
Dr. Alinsod conceded that he’d never branded an excess organ before, but said he did it to avoid confusing the woman’s uterus with other medical waste that may have been laying about. He also called the hysterectomy otherwise “uneventful,” and creepily added that the added the mark as a “gesture of friendship.” Monetary damages sought have not been specified, but the patient and her husband are also suing, strangely, for damages to their marital relationship:
Along with accusing Alinsod of medical negligence, the complaint charges the doctor with battery and contends that Joe Paulicivic has been “permanently injured and damaged” due to the resulting loss of consortium with his wife.
Dr. Alinsod isn’t the first gynecologist who has gotten in trouble for uterine branding. In 2003, a Kentucky doctor was sued for the same practice.
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