Young mother loses both arms and legs through carnivorous germs

Just become a mother: bacteria cost young woman both arms and legs

A woman from Canada had to have both arms and legs amputated after being infected with "carnivorous bacteria". According to media reports, the pathogens had apparently penetrated the body through the birth of her son through a small wound. The sad fate could probably have been avoided: The doctors in the hospital had initially made a false diagnosis.

Sent home with a wrong diagnosis

On March 2, 33-year-old Lindsey H. from Halifax, Canada gave birth to a healthy son. But just a few days after birth, the young mother lost both forearms and lower legs. According to media reports, the woman at birth had apparently been infected with "carnivorous bacteria". However, this was initially not recognized by the doctors; Lindsey H. had been sent home for the time being because of a wrong diagnosis.

In Canada, a woman had to have both forearms and lower legs amputated shortly after the birth of her son. She seems to have contracted a serious bacterial infection at the hospital. (Image: AntonioDiaz / fotolia.com)

Severe pain caused by necrotizing fasciitis

Two days after the birth of her child, Lindsey H. had been discharged from the hospital. But a day later, she returned to the clinic because of severe abdominal pain.

There, the doctors diagnosed a blockage in the young mother and sent her home, reports the Canadian news channel "CTV News".

But apparently the doctors made a fatal mistake. One day later, Lindsey H. had to return to the clinic because of severe pain, and her body had also discolored in the meantime.

This time, the doctors recognized what caused the patient's complaints. As the "Washington Post" confesses, the physicians found that the 33-year-old suffered from a necrotizing fasciitis.

Serious bacterial infection

According to the National Heatlh Service (NHS), necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but serious bacterial infection that affects the tissues under the skin and the surrounding muscles and organs (fascia).

"It is sometimes referred to as a" carnivorous disease ", although the bacteria that cause it do not" eat "meat - they release toxins that damage nearby tissue," the experts write.

"Necrotizing fasciitis can be a relatively small lesion, such as a small incision, but it deteriorates very quickly and can be life-threatening unless it is detected and treated early," the NHS continues.

Unfortunately, it always comes back to such infections, as a case from the UK showed. Only a few months ago, a small child had been infected by a tiny laceration with "carnivorous bacteria".

Lower arms and lower legs amputated

According to media reports, in Lindsey H., the bacteria had apparently entered the body at birth through a small wound in the vagina.

To combat the infection, drastic measures were required. The doctors had to amputate both the forearm and lower leg of the patient as well as remove her uterus.

For the next seven months, the woman spent at the hospital without being able to look after her little child. Now she is sitting in a wheelchair. A kidney transplant is yet to come.

Meanwhile, Lindsey H. has sued the clinic. "Our accusation is that much, if not all, of the damage could have been averted," said her lawyer Ray Wagner, according to a report from the portal "metronews"..

He has filed a claim for damages against five doctors at the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (the province whose capital is Halifax).

"She was very fortunate to have survived," says Wagner. (Ad)