Jeffrey Kamlet, 48, underwent an emergency cardiac catheterization in December '01. ''While sedated . . . a sheath dislodged from his groin, causing him to hemorrhage into his scrotum,'' says the complaint, filed by Spencer Aronfeld. The sheath is a short tube that gives access to the blood vessel. Kamlet is claiming ''irreversible . . . damage'' and ``severe emotional and financial loss.''

Rare that a doc sues a hospital for malpractice, says prominent med mal lawyer Stuart Z. Grossman. ''They fear repercussions.'' Kamlet, who practices internal medicine, is on staff at Mount Sinai. The hospital issued a statement that it has ''one of the top 100 cardiac programs'' in the United States, but could not comment further, citing federal privacy regulations.