TCM practitioner fined, suspended for causing patient to lose part of his leg
A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner was fined $5,000, suspended for three years and censured for administering treatment that led to a patient losing part of his left leg.
In a media statement released on Wednesday (13 March), the TCM Practitioners Board said that Lee Ming Chong had also shown a “complete lack of remorse” as he tried to lie and shift the blame during the inquiry hearing.
It has directed Lee, who practised at the Royal Acupuncture Specialist Centre in Toa Payoh, to pay for all costs and expenses of the inquiry and action taken against him.
Blisters on feet after heat-lamp treatment
The board received a complaint from the 59-year-old patient against Lee on 3 April 2017 for professional misconduct and negligence, following two consultations with Lee. The patient has a medical history of diabetes and poor sensation in both feet.
On 3 January 2015, Lee had prescribed and administered TCM treatment using a heat lamp on the soles of both of the complainant’s feet. After the treatment, the patient developed blisters on the soles of his feet. When he stepped on the ground and started walking, the
blisters burst and fluid flowed out.
The patient immediately returned to Lee, who cleaned his wounds, applied medication and bandaged his feet with gauze. However, later that night, the patient developed a high fever which persisted until the next day.
On 4 January 2015, the patient consulted Lee again, who administered acupuncture and electric pulse treatment on him. Still the patient’s condition did not improve, and the condition of his feet worsened.
Subsequently, the patient was admitted to hospital for severe burn wounds on his feet. Due to his diabetes, the wounds on his feet did not heal. Instead, his condition worsened and he eventually had to undergo below-knee amputation of his left leg.
Multiple instances of negligence
Upon investigation, the TCM Practitioners Board found that, while heat-lamp treatment is an appropriate and generally accepted method of treatment for the patient’s condition of general weakness and chills, Lee failed to inform the patient about the risks that come with it.
He had also failed to take adequate precautions and care when administering the heat-lamp treatment to avoid inflicting burns or injury to the patient’s feet. The patient had already asked Lee to be careful, as his feet had poor sensation, but Lee was found to have placed the heat lamp too close to the patient’s soles, which resulted in the burns.
Given the seriousness of the injuries, which was evident from the fluid-filled blisters, the board said that Lee should have called for an ambulance, or at least advised the patient to seek immediate medical attention. Instead, he proceeded to administer the acupuncture and electric impulse treatment, thus causing a delay in the patient seeking appropriate medical treatment.
The board concluded, “The safety of patients is of paramount importance when registered TCM practitioners prescribe and administer TCM treatments to their patients. In particular, the Board advises TCM practitioners to exercise great care and prudence when prescribing and/or administering heat treatments on patients with diabetes.”
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