June 25, 2009 - Florida Woman Loses Leg in Anaesthesia Mishap

A woman who went to a Florida hospital to have a kidney stone broken up lost her right leg during the procedure, her attorney says.

Kelli Woodfin, 41, blames the loss of her leg on complications from anesthesia used during the July 2008 procedure at Tampa General Hospital, her attorney David Eaton said.

He said anesthesia caused circulation loss in the leg and by the time the medical team realized it, it was too late to save the leg. Six weeks before losing her leg, the same procedure at Tampa General led to a temporary loss of circulation in Woodfin's right leg, her attorney said.

The procedure, called a lithotripsy, uses shock waves to break up kidney stones.

Woodfin has filed court papers saying she plans to sue the hospital.

John Dunn, a Tampa General spokesman, declined comment Wednesday.

Woodfin, who now uses a wheelchair, says she lost her job at an assisted-living facility, is unemployed and has no income after disability payments were cut off in January.

She said she can no longer shoot pool, go to bars or fish, and the stump of her leg sometimes bleeds when she wears her prosthetic, which her lawyer said doesn't fit correctly.

"I always felt young," she said. "Now, I feel so much older."

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