Women Face Alleged Permanent Nerve Damage After Rubbing Alcohol Replaced Anaesthetic in Toe Procedures
Two Oregon women allege they suffered permanent nerve damage after a Kaiser Permanente podiatrist injected their toes with rubbing alcohol instead of a local anaesthetic before removing their ingrown toenails. Their lawsuits describe the procedures as 'torture'.
Judith Young and her husband, Thomas, of Washington County, filed a lawsuit seeking $23 million (£17.33 million) in damages on Monday, 9 November, over treatment at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro. It is the second lawsuit involving podiatrist Dr Colin Mizuo over an alleged rubbing alcohol injection during an ingrown toenail procedure.
Sarah Blackman, also of Washington County, and her husband, Jason Fleskes, sued Mizuo and Kaiser Permanente for $13 million (£9.8 million) in June. Attorney Laura Kalur represents both women.
Alleged Agony During Toenail Removal
Young went to the Hillsboro centre on 22 January to have the sides of an ingrown toenail removed. She screamed, cried and told Mizuo she was in 'terrible pain' after he removed portions of her nail, her lawsuit states.
About a week later, Sarah Blackman underwent a procedure to remove two ingrown toenails. Her lawsuit alleges that she screamed and cried during the procedure and begged Mizuo not to remove the second nail. He allegedly told her to 'just get it over with' and continued.
Ingrown toenail removals typically require an injection of lidocaine or a similar anaesthetic. Both lawsuits allege that Mizuo injected the patients with 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol instead of lidocaine, a local anaesthetic.
Young's lawsuit says her pain started with the injections. It argues Mizuo did not check why they were so painful or whether her toe was numb, then told her the injection could cause blistering.
Young's lawsuit disputes the explanation that blistering could result from a local anaesthetic injection. It alleges that the substance used was rubbing alcohol, which caused a chemical burn and blistering, and describes the substance as a 'perfect cellular killer'.
Alleged Permanent Nerve and Tissue Damage
Young went home, but her toe allegedly stayed painful, with constant burning and throbbing. Her foot then swelled and turned red, and the toe's skin blistered from the alleged chemical burn.
On 31 January, Young went to the Kaiser emergency department. Her lawsuit says staff were unable to explain the severity of her symptoms after the toenail procedure, diagnosed an infection, prescribed antibiotics and sent her home.
The toe allegedly kept deteriorating, turning black and oozing as skin came off. She returned to the emergency department three times over several weeks, and the tissue death worsened.
Both women allege severe and permanent injuries, including chemical burns, necrosis, tissue loss, disfigurement and permanent nerve injury. They also cite numbness, chronic pain and impaired walking.
Nothing in Young's patient documents suggested rubbing alcohol could be the cause, according to the lawsuits. Around 2 March, Kaiser's head of podiatry allegedly contacted both women separately to disclose the alleged mistake.
Both women say they were promised letters explaining what happened but never received them. In response to Young's lawsuit, Kaiser Permanente said patient safety is its highest priority and that it would carefully review the care she received.
Kalur said Kaiser's refusal to be forthcoming has been 'disappointing and distressing' to the Youngs. Thomas Young is seeking $1 million (£750,000) of the total $23 million in damages for the alleged loss of companionship and relationship with his wife.
Research on Nerve Injury Risks
Nerve injuries can sometimes cause persistent pain, numbness or altered sensation. However, general research into chronic pain following surgery cannot establish the cause or likely outcome of the injuries alleged in these lawsuits.
Nerve damage is a recognised, although uncommon, potential complication of some injections. Symptoms can include pain, numbness, tingling or weakness. These general risks do not establish what caused the injuries alleged by either woman.