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Doctor sued for 'branding' patient's uterus
Dr. Red Alinsod is being sued for engraving his patient's name on her uterus.
A California gynecologist is being sued for branding a patient's name on her uterus using an "electrocautery device."
Dr. Red Alinsod removed Ingrid Paulicivic's uterus during an operation at his Orange County office in 2006, according to the complaint posted on The Smoking Gun's website. The Laguna Beach doctor carved "Ingrid" on the organ, according to the site, because he "did not want to get it confused with others."
Alinsod told the site that labeling of body parts in that manner is not typical. But, he said, he "felt comfortable putting her name on the uterus" since the 47-year-old hairdresser was a "good friend."
Paulicivic's attorney, Devan Mullins, told CNN.com that his client did not know her physician before consulting him for the operation. Paulicivic and her husband learned of the branding during a follow-up visit, the lawyer said.
During that visit, Paulicivic complained to Alinsod about burns to her leg that she suffered during the operation, Mullins told CNN.com. The doctor was looking at images that were taken during the operation, and the couple asked for copies.
"Alinsod hesitated to give them the photos," the attorney said, sparking the couple's suspicion that something was wrong. The doctor told the couple that he didn't know how to copy the images, so the husband, who is a photographer, showed Alinsod how to move the images to a memory card, and the couple took them, Mullins said.
Later in the husband's office, the couple looked at the photos and were shocked to see "Ingrid" spelled out in inch-high letters on her uterus.
"They reacted like anyone would react - 'Oh my God, I cannot believe this happened,' " the lawyer said.
The couple hired Mullins, who tried for 90 days to notify Alinsod of an impending complaint, but the doctor did not react. "That's what's been odd - that we've gotten no response from him whatsoever," Mullins said.
CNN.com spoke with Alinsod's office manager Tuesday, who said that the physician was seeing patients and that he would not comment on the litigation.
According to Alinsod's website, he formerly headed gynecologic services at George Air Force Base in California and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He was affectionately called a "Combat Gynecologist" by his colleagues, it says.
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its obvious the utures was tagged and stored for future scientific research, know for her suing the dr its obvious she don't have the funds to pay her copayment
I feel slow today – he removed the uterus (not putting it back in) and branded her name on it...and there's a lawsuit why?
I just had my engine replaced, and im pretty sure they labelled my old engine with my name on it...they might even have taken the time to carve it in, then I should double sue them!
In the process of writing on the uterus, HE BURNED HER LEG. That was the malpractice. Everyone is distracted with the writing instead of focusing on her injury. It was a battery.
The burn on the leg is a risk of the surgery (if it's from the caudery), although a very low risk. It happens, not the doctor's fault.
Um, YayDocs? Yeah, it is if he was farting around with the tool and writing her name on her uterus.
He probably is required by law to mark body parts so that they are easily distinguishable from each other. His method might be odd, but unless he put something private on there, like her last name and SS number, I don't really know what he did wrong. As for the burn on the leg, though, that is odd. Did he slip and fall? This article is not clear.
he did nothing of any concern to anyone who is not a sicko. What's next? Sue him for burning the damn thing to dispose of it? Maybe she wanted it in a carry out bag?
I agree...its another way for someone to try and get money instatly, no harm was done and its not like the uterus was posted on facebook or for sale, give me a break lady!
Ok, this is just funny. I would be at least glad I did not have the guy give me a nose job or something.
This is the craziest story I've ever heard! I would be more concerned about a hysterectomy being done in the office as opposed to him branding the uterus. Folks will do & say anything for a $1.00.
There has to be more to the story than they are reporting. The actual point, IMO, is that the uterus should have gone to pathology intact, sterile, without any unnecessary changes made to it.
The burn marks on her leg should be explained, and he allegedly did not do that.
Lol uhhh yea the insides of your body....NOT STERILE, not even close and I really hope that an organ never goes to pathology still "intact" because medically speaking, it would still be attached to her, worrisome.
This is why I use post-it notes on the organs in my office.
ok wait she didn't want the uterus but now she is mad he wrote on it..please...doctors label all organs with tape in a jar or in this case the laser...what is the big deal...all she is thinking of is $$$$
I don't see any harm here. This patient is obviously after deep pockets – although with Obamacare, physicians will no longer have deep pockets. My advice to this woman who feels like she was done 'wrong' – take a page out of the Amish's playbook – forgive and forget.
Is she suing because he burnt her leg? I think it is reasonable for a woman to expect not have her leg burnt while having a gynecological procedure done.
If she's suing because he wrote her name on a removed organ, I think we need to ask, "What is the standard of practice for labeling human tissue?" If he needed a sample for testing, I think carving a name into the tissue is probably not meeting up with medical guidelines. Has anyone else had a tissue sample labeled with a first name on the tissue itself? Every sample of every kind I ever had done was put into a sterile container with detailed patient,doctor, and medical code (probably for specifying which kind of test was to be done) on it.
I think the writer here didn't ask very good questions and is focusing on the carving aspect for sensational purposes.
Not sure what the lawsuit would be about? You need negligence (maybe....did he violate the standard of care here?), causation (the negligence CAUSED the injury), and damages. Does she have all three? MAYBE she has one element, negligence (if indeed he violated some standard of care). But causation? Damages? There is no injury, nothing to sue for.
The leg is BURNED = injury. Simple.
She could have burned her leg at home = not his fault.
How can you urn someone after the organ was removed. There is no way he would have tried to label it while it was still inside her. Not only is that illogical but it is damn near impossible!
excuse me this and that. Since you obviously examined her and saw her leg can you give more details. Did it look like a burn as a result of a cautery. I'm only asking because since I didn't examine or see her (I'm only a nurse). I 'm going to go with the statement that she CLAIMS her leg was burnt. Sitting in the Emergency Room for 12 hours a day I can tell you that woman are the worst offender of exaggerating, dramatizing and sometimes completely fabricating their symptoms. It's easy to assess as probably greater than 75 of all people that present for treatment in ER's are woman. Out of that 75 percent,, 75 percent of them have not objective findings to back up their "complaints". You do the math. The severe migraine that's reading a magazine, The severe abdominal pain eating McDonalds, I could go on and on. This is not the exception but the rule.
Does this cause problems for future pregnancies? I could see that being a problem. Also, if it's not a problem, she should be able to brand his nuts...just the inside though, because it won't harm him, right?? 🙂
Her uterus was removed so it's no longer in her body. It no longer belongs to her. I could understand if it was still in her body but it was removed.
If he did this to this patient I imagine there's going to be a flood of prior patients contacting Ambulance Chasers.