Family sues Texas Children’s Hospital doctor after 4-year-old underwent unintentional vasectomy

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Houston family is suing Texas Children’s Hospital doctor after a 4-year-old went in for an inguinal hernia repair and left with a partial vasectomy.

Doctor Susan L. Jarosz is being sued for medical negligence.

Houston attorneys Randy Sorrels and Tom Omondi said in a press release that the 4-year-old had complaints of right-sided swelling in his scrotum that would worsen in the evenings. Jarosz recommended a right inguinal hernia repair.

The boy’s hernia removal was scheduled for August 4, 2021, but instead, Jarosz also cut the vas deferens, the tube that carries the sperm out of the testes.

Jarosz and the risk management staff at Texas Children’s Hospital advised the family of what happened and the possible short- and long-term consequences of this injury, including reduced fertility.

“While apologies were given, fully accountability was not accepted,” Sorrels and Omondi said. “The parents now face the difficult task of explaining this to their son at the appropriate age.”

A spokesperson with the Texas Children’s Hospital released the following statement:

“Texas Children’s Hospital’s top priority is the health and well-being of our patients. Due to patient privacy requirements, we are unable to comment.”