Catherine Kieu Becker, 48, was booked for aggravated mayhem, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, administering a drug with intent to commit a felony, poisoning, and spousal abuse. She was being held at the Orange County Jail. The woman, who was later identified as the suspect, called 911 to report a medical emergency at about 10 p.m. When officers arrived, they found the man tied to a bed and bleeding from the groin area. He told officers the woman had given him a drug in the dinner she had made for him. Investigators said she tied him to the bed after he fell asleep. When he awoke, the woman grabbed his penis and cut it off with a 10-inch kitchen knife, according to police. She then threw it in the garbage disposal and turned on the disposal, police said. The 51-year-old man was hospitalized at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange. He was listed in serious condition. Pieces of the penis were taken to the hospital, but it remained unclear whether surgeons were able to reattach it.
Source: msnbc.msn.com/id/43732006

Replantation of a severed part (that what we call it) is possible dependent upon the condition of that part, the skill of the available microsurgeon and the quality of the facilities. I trained at UC Irvine Medical Center and at the time they had a very skilled microsurgeon available. Many good microsurgeons have started doing less of this kind of work due to the stress on their lives (These cases tend to occur at late hours) and the poor reimbursement. As we have discussed here before not all plastic surgery pays well. I do far fewer emergencies than I used to due to these very facts.

The part in this case having been treated to a presumably working garbage disposal was likely not be found suitable for replantation.

Staying with your not soon enough to be ex in the middle of your divorce can have nasty consequences.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD