Decision report 201200145

Summary

Mr C had a hernia operation, but was admitted to hospital a week later with severe pain in his testicles. It was discovered that the blood supply to one of his testicles had been cut off and it had to be removed. The surgeon said that the obstruction in the blood supply had been caused by a combination of the hernia operation and a vasectomy that Mr C had previously had. Mr C complained to us about the standard of the hernia repair surgery.

We found that the hernia operation Mr C had was the standard procedure. Our medical adviser said that the operation note was a well-completed document that complied with good surgical practice. We also found that it was appropriate that the operation was carried out by a suitably experienced junior doctor under the direct supervision of a surgeon. Damage to the blood supply to a testicle is a recognised, but rare, complication of hernia surgery. If a testicle does not have any blood supply, it has to be removed. However, our adviser said that there was no evidence that Mr C's earlier vasectomy had been a factor in the complication he suffered and we told the board this.

Mr C also complained that the board failed to adequately communicate with him before and after his surgery. We found that the consent forms for the operations had been completed appropriately. The surgeons also recorded that they met Mr C before and after the operations to discuss the procedures. Mr C disputed this and his version of events clearly conflicted with the surgeons. However, there was no clear and objective evidence to support his complaint about this matter.