Orlando, Florida - An Orlando-area urologist performed a vasectomy on the right side of a patient. But a complaint filed with the Florida Department of Health says Dr. Dilipkumar Patel was supposed to do the vasectomy on the patient’s left side.

A vasectomy blocks the vas deferens, the tubes that are the highway for sperm between the testes and penis, by either severing them or clamping them shut.

The complaint says on June 10, 2022, Patel was supposed to perform a vasectomy on the left side of a 51-year-old man who had a vasectomy on his right side done by a different doctor.

"During the procedure, [Patel] conducted a vasectomy of the right side as opposed to the left side," the complaint said. "A few hours following the procedure, [Patel] noticed the error and notified (the patient) that he had done a vasectomy of the right side instead of the left."

Usually, vasectomies are done on both sides of the scrotum, according to a guide published by the University of Virginia Department of Urology.

The procedure can take up to 30 minutes and is reversible in most cases.