Man Seeks Acupuncture for Sprained Back, Contracts Flesh-Eating Bacteria & Has Leg Amputated

A man in Hong Kong had suffered a back sprain after lifting heavy objects and decided to seek treatment at a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic. As such, he received acupuncture treatments on April 7, 9, and 10.

His lower left leg had to be amputated due to a flesh-eating infection after the acupuncture treatment

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Before knowing that he was going to lose parts of his limbs, the 47-year-old man developed a fever with a thigh pain on April 11 and consulted the doctors at a private hospital. He was diagnosed with septic shock and necrotising fasciitis, or in layman’s terms, a flesh-eating infection.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), necrotising fasciitis begins and spreads quickly, and it kills the body’s soft tissue, which is caused by the Group A streptococcus (GAS) bacteria.

He was then transferred to Queen Mary Hospital on April 12, where doctors performed the amputation the following day. Despite his existing health condition, he remained in a stable condition following the amputation.

The Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong said upon investigations, the team suspected that the Chinese medicine practitioner did not follow the proper disinfection protocols before performing acupuncture on the patient.

Action will be taken if malpractice is confirmed

The Department of Health said it may refer the case to the Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong for possible disciplinary action if misconduct is confirmed, according to the South China Morning Post.

The head of the Chinese medicine practitioners’ union also acknowledged the matter and reminded practitioners to follow all rules, especially on hygiene protocols, while attending to patients. However, she urged the public not to generalise the case.

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