Doctor Sued By Second Patient Accusing Him of Injecting Rubbing Alcohol Instead of Lidocaine

A podiatrist in Oregon is facing a second lawsuit from a person accusing him of accidentally injecting rubbing alcohol into their toes before a procedure instead of a painkiller.

According to The Oregonian, Colin Mizuo, a doctor at the Portland-area Kaiser Permanente, is named in a $23 million lawsuit filed by Judith Young, who says the alleged mishap occurred during an ingrown toenail removal. Mizuo allegedly injected rubbing alcohol into her toe instead of lidocaine.

Young claims that she tried to tell the doctor she could feel everything as he removed an ingrown nail on her big toe, but he continued with the procedure and did not reassess the painkiller. She reportedly went home and followed aftercare procedures but continued to feel burning, swelling and intense pain in her toe.

Not knowing that she had allegedly been injected with rubbing alcohol, she was diagnosed with an infection and treated with antibiotics. However, her condition got worse, and her toe began to turn black, ooze and her skin started falling off. It wasn’t until five to six weeks after the alleged mishap that doctors figured out what went wrong.

Young is the second person to file a lawsuit after allegedly experiencing a similar incident. As Globe previously reported, Sarah Blackman is suing for $13 million after getting treatment for ingrown nails on two toes. She also alleges she was injected with the clear liquid rubbing alcohol instead of lidocaine.

Similarly, she went to the hospital after nine days and was treated for an infection as her skin deteriorated.

Kaiser spokesperson Karen Vitt emailed a statement to The Oregonian Tuesday, saying that the company would review Young’s care “and take appropriate steps to address any issues identified.”

“Patient safety is our highest priority, and we take concerns about the care we provide extremely seriously,” the statement added.