Man suing after complications following penile implant

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) -- A nightmare under the knife has drastically changed a South Florida man's life, and now he plans to sue his doctor.

Enrique Milla said he just wanted to keep the spark alive in his marriage. Instead, he said he was left with absolutely nothing when he lost his penis during penile implant surgery. "This is a man who has been married for more than 25 years. It's affected his loved ones. Unfortunately, now he lives in seclusion. He can't work," said attorney Spencer Aronfeld. "A penis to man is their essence of who they are."

Milla, a diabetic, suffered from erectile dysfunction. He went to a South Florida hospital for a penile implant. He says blood flow was cut off, the penis decayed and he developed gangrene. As a result, the majority of his penis had to be removed. "When you do a surgery, especially on one's penis, it's contra-indicated to do it on someone who has diabetes," said Aronfeld. "As a result, this man lost his penis. He will essentially go through the rest of his life without a penis."

We spoke with a urologist unrelated to this case. He said, if diabetes is not controlled, any surgery has risks. "Diabetics, as such, are more prone to infections," said Dr. Sanjay Radzan. "He must have heard about that. People get gangrene, people get infections and abscesses everywhere, especially when the diabetes is not controlled. Now, in the face of a foreign body out there, this is heightened."

"I know that Mr. Milla wants his story out there," said Aronfeld, "but this story is so difficult to tell, that it's hard for him to be here, and he's asked his brother to speak on his behalf."

Milla's brother only speaks Spanish, so Aronfeld translated: "He said it has been very, very difficult for his brother. He has been unable to work. He has suffered a lot of self esteem issues. He has trouble sleeping, and it's impacted his relationship with his family."

So where else does a man who has been deprived of his manhood go from here but to court.

Milla's attorney walked into the Coral Gables Courthouse to make it official. "I have been doing this for nearly 20 years, and I have never seen a case like this before," Aronfeld said. "It will be difficult for anyone that hears this, particularly men, to imagine what life will be like for Mr. Milla, not having a penis."

The lawsuit is not only on behalf of Milla but his wife as well. She says she has lost the services of her husband.

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