Getting gallbladder surgery and a vasectomy are two very different things. An Argentinian man got an unexpected surprise after undergoing what he thought was gallbladder surgery, only to learn that the doctors had actually performed a vasectomy instead.
Jorge Baseto stopped by the Florencio Díaz Provincial Hospital in Cordoba, Argentina, to get surgery on his gallbladder. The operation was originally scheduled for February 28, 2024, but was postponed to the next day.
On the day of the surgery, hospital staff arrived at the 41-year-old’s room and took him to the operating room without asking any questions or checking his chart. Instead, doctors performed the type of surgery that was scheduled for that day: a vasectomy.
It was only after Baseto had woken up from surgery that he received the shocking news that he had undergone a vasectomy instead of his scheduled gallbladder operation. After the second surgery was completed, Baseto asked what could be done about the error that occurred.
Doctors informed Baseto that reversing the vasectomy would be useless considering his age and the size of the severed ducts. Fortunately, he could still conceive children through artificial insemination if he wanted to.
“It is very strange because in my chart it said ‘gallbladder’ everywhere, all they had to do was read it, you didn’t have to be a scientist to figure it out,” Baseto said. “I don’t want to point the finger at anyone, but no one here is taking responsibility. They focus on saying: ‘Well, don’t be so dramatic, because through insemination you can still have a child.”
Baseto continued: “I am angry and helpless because what they did is irreversible, there is no changing it. I just can’t understand this level of negligence, how you can make such a huge blunder.”
Baseto’s lawyer said that the error arose from his client’s rescheduled surgery since vasectomies are usually performed on Wednesdays at Florencio Díaz Provincial Hospital. Hospital staff treated Baseto as another vasectomy patient, instead of looking at his chart. He is currently looking to sue the doctors and the hospital for negligence.