A Florida doctor who cut off the head of a newborn’s penis during a circumcision has been linked to at least 14 other serious injuries.
A court investigation and official documents revealed that Dr. Berto Lopez, a 64-year-old gynecologist, was involved in a series of medical errors, including the death of a mother of two in hospital after Dr. Lopez went home to “go to bed.”
And a 31-year-old woman accused the doctor of not fully removing her dead fetus, causing her to give birth to the remains in a friend’s bathroom.
Between 1988 and 2021, six patients have died in connection with his care and he has performed two botched circumcisions. In February 2021, his medical license was revoked.
In the latter case, parents said Dr. Lopez told them their son’s bleeding after the circumcision was “normal,” but when they took him to the hospital the next day, other doctors were “visibly shocked” by his injuries.
Last month, Dr. Lopez was ordered by a jury to pay the family $100 million for the injuries their son suffered.
Dr. Lopez told the family the bleeding was normal. But worried, they took their newborn son to the ER the next day (family pictured above)
The review, revealed by The Palm Beach Postit emerged that Dr. Lopez had been named in four disciplinary cases and nine other cases of medical negligence.
The latest report revealed that the doctor performed the circumcision, a surgical procedure that removes a baby’s foreskin — the fold of skin that covers the head of the penis — for a cost of $250 on February 15, 2021.
This was just 10 days after his medical license was officially revoked by the state following the death of a pregnant mother of two.
The family, who wished to remain anonymous, were unaware of the doctor’s lawsuits and revoked license. If they had known, they said they would have “run out the door so fast he would have been destroyed.”
Dr. Lopez no longer has a clinic in Florida after his medical license was revoked in February.
But reviews on his clinic’s page raised alarm bells about his practice years before his license was revoked. One patient said he “always had food on his scrubs and gown,” while another said his clinic staff “ate pizza and drank Red Bull on the (clinic’s) keyboard.”
Several patients left reviews saying they would “never come back” and calling the practice “unprofessional.” Some even claimed it was a “scam.”
After he performed the circumcision on the boy, the child bled profusely, the father said.
He told CBS12: ‘At first I didn’t really know what was going on. I wanted to believe the doctor because he said he had hit an artery and that was why all the bleeding was happening.
“We quickly realized that he had inflicted such a terrible injury on our son.”
He added: ‘The damage is that almost the entire head of the penis has been severed or amputated. The documents say it’s over 50 percent.’
It took 45 minutes for the bleeding to stop, and a day later the parents took their newborn to the emergency room. They were concerned, and the family said a doctor was “visibly shocked” when he saw their newborn’s penis.
This mistake could lead to the boy having a life full of complications.
Long-term health consequences of glans loss may include difficulty urinating, loss of sexual function, and emotional distress including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues.
Mother of two Onystei Castillo Lopez, 40, bled to death while in the care of Dr. Lopez after the birth of her second child
A lawsuit alleged that the doctor went home and left her in the care of a nurse and another doctor who was only available via Zoom
Dr. Lopez had his license revoked on February 5, 2021, after he was found responsible for the wrongful death of a pregnant woman. However, his revocation did not go into effect until February 22, allowing him to continue practicing in the intervening days.
The wrongful death case alleged he left 40-year-old mother of two, Onystei Castillo Lopez, bleeding in the hospital after he went home to change out of his blood-soaked scrubs and go to bed in January 2017.
Mrs. Lopez had sustained injuries during childbirth, went into cardiac arrest and died later that evening from her injuries. Dr. Lopez was the doctor who delivered her baby.
Ms. Lopez’s family attorney, Gary Cohen, has previously stated CBS12: ‘Dr. Lopez had made multiple cuts in her cervix with a scalpel while the baby was being delivered.
“What he had to do was a full hysterectomy, which involved removing the entire uterus and cervix, which she was bleeding from.”
Administrative hearing judge Robert Cohen said Dr. Lopez’s decision in 2021 to leave the hospital, go home, clean up and go to sleep “was the reason he did not complete his care for his patient, which ultimately led to her untimely death.”
“Maybe his patient wouldn’t have survived after all, but we’ll never know because (Lopez) left her alone to go home.”
Dr. Lopez first faced allegations of misconduct in 1988, when the family of baby Crystal Diane Hicks alleged that her death was due to his failure to perform a timely Caesarean section.
In 1992, documents show he was involved in settling a lawsuit brought by the family of the baby Earl Buchanan, who died. Details of the case are not public.
Two years later, he was linked to the death of 18-year-old mother Nakia Gilmore, although the cause of death was not released.
Dr. Berto Lopez, pictured above, has had his medical license revoked
And again in 1994, court documents from the parents of baby Samuel Mercedes – who had visited Dr. Lopez – show that their baby had severe birth defects after a neural tube defect was not diagnosed in time.
In 2002, the Florida Medical Board heard how he had failed to completely remove a 15-week-old dead fetus from 31-year-old mother Michelle Hirt. The mother explained how this led to her giving birth to the remains in a friend’s bathroom.
In April 2011, he faced a lawsuit after a baby boy he was treating suffered severe brain damage that led to cerebral palsy following a delayed cesarean section.
In November of that year, he faced a lawsuit after baby Matthew Dixson was born with a broken arm and permanent nerve damage because a caesarean section was not performed.
Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office documents from 2012 show that 56-year-old Joyce Rivers died after her small intestine was perforated during an ovarian removal surgery involving Dr. Lopez.
In April 2014, the Florida Department of Death documented how his patient Ashley Perez, a 29-year-old, died of internal bleeding following a C-section after her ovarian stitches came loose.
Three months later, Florida Department of Health documents show that a 32-year-old woman, identified only as LR, lost six pints of blood after a tubal ligation — or a procedure to close the fallopian tubes to prevent pregnancy — went wrong. She survived the injuries.
In May 2017, he faced a lawsuit over the botched circumcision of another child, known only as RRR, which was settled out of court.
Dr. Lopez has not yet publicly commented on his long list of medical lawsuits.
He has often agreed to pay fines, perform community service and take courses in keeping medical records.
In the latest circumcision case, he failed to appear in court and did not hire a legal team to defend himself, the boy’s family said.