A New Zealand GP has apologised for the "devastating complication" that saw a pensioner lose both her lower legs after injecting a chemical into a main artery by mistake during a treatment for varicose veins.
Aged Care Commissioner Carolyn Cooper condemned the doctor for failing to send the woman, who was in her 70s, for emergency care straight away and found his treatment breached the code in place to protect patients.
The GP performed the treatment in February 2020.
It was during the injection on her second leg that the ankle "exploded in pain" when it was injected, the patient told the commissioner.
The doctor suspected he had mistakenly injected an artery, something he had warned the woman was a "very rare complication".
But after examining both feet and concluding there was no difference between them, he sent the woman home.
He followed up with several calls, however the woman ended up in hospital less than a week after the treatment.
Two weeks later, she had both her legs amputated below the knee after being admitted to hospital with discoloured, painful feet.
Her feet had been starved of blood flow.
Cooper found the GP failed to provide treatment with reasonable care and skill.
The GP, whose name and location has been withheld, told the commissioner he was truly sorry for the "devastating complication" and said it caused him to make changes to his practice.
The doctor told the commissioner he firmly believed "everything that can be done, must be done to try to prevent this complication happening again, not only in New Zealand but worldwide".
However, he later told the commissioner he had sold his practice and no longer performs any vein procedures.
When she learnt of the commissioner's provisional decision, the patient said the doctor should have been aware of all the possible outcomes and instead of taking a wait-and-see approach, should have taken action.
The botched procedure also resulted in an ACC treatment injury claim, which was accepted.
