Bacterial infection due to a tampon amputee leg at Vogue model

US model lost her leg because of a tampon
27-year-old Lauren Wasser was once a successful "Vogue" model. But three years ago her life was completely changed by a bacterial infection. The US-American contracted the Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and lost one leg. Cause: A tampon.

Bacterial infection due to tampon
Three years ago, the then 24-year-old Lauren Wasser was a successful model and worked for the "Vogue" among others. But then her life was completely turned upside down. As she told the magazine "Vice", it started when she suddenly felt unwell, as if she was getting flu. After her condition worsened dramatically and eventually she was found face down on the bedroom floor, she was taken to a hospital with a very high fever. According to a report by "stern.de" her organs were about to fail. In addition, she had suffered a serious heart attack. The doctors attempted to re-activate their limbs with an oxygen therapy because gangrene had stopped their blood circulation to the hands and feet. The patient was put into an artificial coma. Her right leg had to be amputated from the knee down. Cause was a tampon.

Toxic shock syndrome can be fatal
An infectiologist called by the doctors had immediately asked if the woman had a tampon in her. This was the case and the lab test of the tampon showed that the 24-year-old was suffering from Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). It is an infectious disease with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria can theoretically get through any wound in the body. Frequently, the pathogens enter the organism via tampons, especially if they remain in the body too long. Typical symptoms include high fever, headache, dizziness, hypotension, itchy rash, muscle pain, nausea and diarrhea. An infection can also lead to severe circulatory and organ failure. Although the disease occurs extremely rarely with one case per 200,000 inhabitants, it can be fatal. As in the case of a 14-year-old girl from Wales. Two years ago she died because of a tampon. Her parents had started a campaign to better explain the rare disease. If TSS is detected in good time, health professionals say antibiotics can usually help.

Observe safety instructions
To prevent, care should be taken that the tampon cover is undamaged. It is also important to wash your hands before inserting. It is recommended by gynecologists to always use the smallest possible tampon, to change it regularly and to avoid bandaging at night. However, it is not advised to do without tampons for fear of TSS. As the gynecologist Klaus Doubek from the Association of Gynecologists explains on the net, the use of tampons is very safe, if the recommended hygiene rules are observed, which are also found on each leaflet.

Lawsuit against manufacturer
Lauren Wasser, too, had kept to the rules and changed her tampons on a regular basis: in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. Although she came away with her life, but lost her leg and can only go with the help of a prosthesis. "I wanted to kill myself," Lauren told Vice. "I was a model and then suddenly in a wheelchair. I felt trapped in my own home. "She never wants to use a tampon again and sue the maker Kimberley-Clark. To Vice, she said, "This product broke me. Had I known everything about TSS, I would never have used a tampon. "The now 27-year-old is sure that wrong material and lack of education are to blame for everything. Her lawyer, Hunter J. Shkolnik, criticized: "The problem has been known for 30 years. At that time there was a real TSS epidemic in the country, and many processes. But the hygiene industry did not do anything about it. "The only change was a mandatory reference to TSS. Also on German tampon packaging is such an indication. Lauren Wasser is pushing for a change in tampon materials. According to experts, tampons made of 100 percent cotton would represent a significantly lower risk. However, the majority of producers - including those in Germany - use a mix of viscose fiber and cotton, or pure viscose. (Ad)