Rehovot newborn saved after botched circumcision

Infant had lost a third of his blood.

By JUDY SIEGEL
Kaplan Medical Center doctors saved the life of a newborn baby who on Wednesday was seriously injured by a mohel during his circumcision and lost a third of his blood.
Dr. Marius Guy, a senior urological surgeon, said that the eight-day-old baby from Rehovot was in serious condition with his penis nearly disconnected at its base, causing massive blood loss.
The Health Ministry was given full details by the hospital, but if was not clear whether the religious family was going to file a complaint against the mohel. The parents refused to allow Kaplan to release any information that might identify themselves or the ritual circumcisor, the hospital spokesman said.
“In all my years as an urologist, I never encountered such a deep cut causing such extensive blood loss,” said Guy. The baby underwent immediate surgery to stop the blood and later microsurgery to reattach the penis on Thursday. Skin was removed from the groin to replace damaged tissue. The baby is under observation in the pediatric intensive care unit, but his life is not in danger.
The mother said she opened the baby’s diaper and found a lot of blood.
“We called the mohel, who came and put pressure on the area,” she said. “He accompanied us to the hospital.”
The doctors said the foreskin had not been removed in the failedcircumcision, but the cut was made on the border between the penis, thescrotum and the abdomen. In addition, a large artery at the top of thepenis was harmed in a way that endangered his life.
The surgeons added that after a circumcision, parents must open thediaper and make sure the baby is not bleeding. If there is bleeding andthe baby is not quiet, don’t hesitate to take him to a hospitalemergency room, they said.
“Any bleeding in babies can put them quickly into shock and even endanger life,” one of the surgeons said.