Breast cupping got a Pompano Beach doctor disciplined, the state says
A Pompano Beach doctor can’t see female patients anymore after an emergency room exam involved too much breast cupping, the Florida Department of Health said.
The emergency restriction order (ERO) on gastroenterologist Dr. Subhash Gupta’s license said the woman’s problem had been diagnosed as colitis of the sigmoid colon., a part of the large intestine.
The health department order came down Monday, but stemmed from an incident Sept. 7 at North Broward Hospital. The patient, identified as “S.L.,” came to the emergency room with the aforementioned diagnosis.
Gupta found inflammation when he felt the lower left side of her abdomen.
“Without warning and without a stethoscope, Dr. Gupta put his hand underneath Patient S.L.’s shirt, cupped her left breast and asked her to take a deep breath,” the ERO said. “Dr. Gupta then cupped Patient S.L.’s right breast and asked her to take another breath.”
The next day, the ERO said, he did the same, again without warning or a stethoscope. And when she came back Sept. 13 for a final exam, “Dr. Gupta again palpated Patient S.L.’s abdomen before cupping her breasts.
“Dr. Gupta cupping Patient S.L.’s breasts is outside the scope of practice and not for a medically recognized diagnostic or treatment purpose.”
Gupta has been licensed in Florida since December 1983. In 1993, accusations of slipshod record-keeping and inadequate medical care with seven patients led to Gupta being sentenced to 30 hours of continuing medical education.
Almost eight years later, he received a $12,500 fine and a Letter of Concern from the Board of Medicine after he was accused of performing an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy on a patient without her consent or confirming her identity (she was scheduled to have an MRI).
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
