Title: Vasectomy procedure [letter]

POPLINE Document Number: 081234

Author(s):

Leman CB

Source citation:

JOURNAL OF FAMILY PRACTICE, 1993 Jan;36(1):14.

Abstract:

In a recent letter published in this column (Blue B. Vasectomy procedure [letter]. J Fam Pract 1992; 35:254), Dr. Blue told of his practice of saying a portion of the vas after performing a vasectomy so that if the sperm count failed to drop as expected, the vas specimen could be sent to the laboratory to prove that the proper tissue was excised and ligated. I submit that a malpractice attorney would almost certainly try to establish to a jury that such a move was self-serving for the physician and that he would have ample opportunity to substitute someone else's specimen for the one in question. In the current medicolegal climate, I think the physician would have difficulty proving beyond doubt that a specimen saved for several months was, in fact, the one submitted to the laboratory after the fact. This is a pity. I do not doubt that Dr. Blue is scrupulously honest, but I have seen the credibility of physicians I knew to be perfectly honest cut to pieces by unscrupulous plaintiffs' attorneys operating within the rules of a court. (full text)

Keywords:

Vasectomy
Sperm Count
Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses
Physicians
Male Sterilization
Sterilization, Sexual
Family Planning
Laboratory Procedures
Examinations and Diagnoses
Health Personnel
Delivery of Health Care
Health