MIAMI (CN) - A 65-year-old man testified that flesh-eating bacteria consumed his penis after an anesthesiologist overlooked his diabetes and cleared him for penile implant surgery.
Enrique Milla, a former Miami resident of 40 years who now lives in Lima, Peru, testified at the Miami-Dade Courthouse via Skype on Thursday, May 17.
In 2007, Milla, then 60, underwent elective penile implant surgery to correct erectile dysfunction that was becoming troublesome in his marriage, the Miami Herald reported.
About nine days after the procedure, an infection turned gangrenous, and Milla had to have his penis amputated, according to Miami news reports.
In 2009, Milla and his wife, Gloria, sued Dr. Laurentiu Boeru, anesthesiologist, seeking tens of millions of dollars.
The Millas are represented by Spencer Aronfeld.
Originally, Milla also sued his urologist, Dr. Paul Perito, who settled out of court last year.
In court, Aronfeld said, "The one and only person who cleared him for this surgery on that day was Dr. Boeru, and our entire case is that at that particular time, he should have said, 'Wait a second, let's treat the medical conditions first.'"
Milla contends that Boeru overlooked his diabetes and high blood pressure, which hindered his ability to recover properly.
Boeru testified in court: "Post-operative period is about anywhere between 6 to 24 hours after surgery. It does not include either days or months."
Boeru's attorney Jay Chimpoulis told the judge and jury: "This is an infection that occurred in this gentleman because he didn't do what he was supposed to do post-operatively nine days after the surgery."
The jury trial continues this week.
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