A South Florida doctor almost killed baby during circumcision, state says

A Margate doctor caused a baby to turn blue, have a seizure and stop breathing during a circumcision, the Florida Department of Health said.

Dr. Donghua Xie gave the boy about twice as much pain medication as he should have, the department said in an administrative complaint filed March 1.

The complaint starts the disciplinary process against Xie. Records show no previous disciplinary actions on his Florida license, which he has had since May 6, 2016. The state says he also claims licensing in Michigan, Connecticut, Kentucky and Virginia.

According to the complaint, the circumcision happened last May 25. Parents of 6-month-old K.H. brought him in to Xie’s Margate office for a “planned circumcision with lysis of penile adhesion.”

Massachusetts General Hospital explains that “a penile adhesion or skin bridge is a dense piece of

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS A BABY TURNED BLUE AND HAD A SEIZURE DURING THE PROCEDURE BECAUSE THE MARGATE DOCTOR GAVE HIM TOO MUCH LIDOCAINE.

skin seen in some males who have been circumcised. The skin forms a bridge fused to the head of his penis. Lysis of this bridge involves separating and removing the bridge of skin.”

K.H. weighed 17 kilograms (about 37.4 pounds). The complaint says after applying lidocaine cream to K.H.’s foreskin and scrotal skin, Xie “injected 8 ml of 2% lidocaine for penile nerve blocking and, circumferentially, the planned inciscion site.”

Later, the complaint says, Xie injected another 2 ml “for dorsal nerve blocking.”

The complaint says that’s when the problems began:

“Shortly thereafter, Patient K.H. turned blue, stopped breathing and began having a seizure. (Xie) and Patient K.H.’s father performed CPR on Patient K.H. until Margate Fire Rescue arrived.”

Margate Fire Rescue stabilized the boy and took him to Northwest Medical Center.

The complaint says the “prevailing professional standard of care” of 4.5 mg per kilogram of injected lidocaine as a maximum meant K.H. should’ve received no more than 76.5 mg of lidocaine.

Xie, the complaint said, injected K.H. with 140-160 mg of lidocaine.

Xie “fell below the minimum standard of care in his treatment of Patient K.H. by using approximately twice the recommended amount of 2% lidocaine solution injection on K.H. while performing a circumcision,” the complaint said.

The state calls that medical malpractice.