The worst case: death by injecting an anaesthetic

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Maybe this one is of general interest. Despite of that tragical outcome of an eletrolysis session, some electrologists abroad still use lidocain injections. [i](Summary of a babelfish translation…)

Original article (german, http://www.derwesten.de/nrz/nrw/Tod-im-Schoenheitssalon-id895838.html)[/i]

Paderborn. Actually she just wanted to remove the leg hair of the young woman. But the practitioner killed her customer - by injecting lidocain, which she was not allowed to apply. … Bodily injury resulting in death …
In January this year (2008), a 43 years old electrologist from Lippstadt was accused of injecting anaesthesia to her customer Carina G. during a hair reamoval treatment although this is permitted only to physicians or welfare practitioners. Carina G. suffered a collapse, fell in coma and died one week later.

With respect to the practitioner, the court decided quickly: Two years imprisonment on probation. … In addition, the studio owner must pay 5000 euro to both a non-profit mechanism and to the mother of the victim. „I hope that this case will serve as a warning to all colleagues”, attorney Dietmar Sauerland said.

She had used such injection for about 40 times.

Xylonest - a local anaesthetic requiring medical prescription - had been used by the electrologist. … Only these (physicians an medical practitioners) may inject stuff slike Xylonest. Dr. Bernd Karger, expert of the University of Münster, told why. The human body has different kinds of fatty tissue. At some places it is harmless to apply an anaestetics „subkutan". In some places, however, it is not harmless. He explains that Carina G. probably died because the needle injured a vene, the sustance entered the the bloodstream arrived and caused cerebral shock.

#2

More is the pity that legs are one of the least painful areas to treat if you know what you are doing, and/or have a good combination of equipment. Spending a little more on equipment and training would have made this totally unnecessary.

#3

This is so sad. I am horrified that an electrologist would do such a risky and dangerous thing.

#4

She did this illegally??? Or, are regulations in Germany more relaxed? Where did she get the injectable lidocaine? The license displayed on my wall prohibits such. I can’t even apply a topical anesthetic to a client that they bring to my office that was prescribed by a doctor.

#5

When used by a physician, local anesthetic is incredibly safe. The drugs they now use (usually lidocaine; nobody uses novacaine anymore, though it’s the one people assume dentists use) almost never cause allergic reaction and have few side effects. Clearly, this electrologist had no business playing doctor, and their attempts to had tragic result.

#6

Dear Dee, yes, she did this illegally, as several others did. Despite of this tragical outcome some others still apply such injections (e.g., the electrologist responsible for my scars!)

We have rather clear rules of who is allowed to apply such injectibles: physicians, medically approved healthcare/alternative practitioners and medical assistents after training and under supervision by a physician. Electrologists and cosmeticians definitely do not belong to these groups.

IMO it is wise not to apply even topical prescriptions to customers, including EMLA (which is freely available). What we can do is letting our customers apply such stuff in their own responsibility.

BTW: in Germany You don’t need a license as an electrologist. But would any license prevent irresponsible people from doing irresponsible things?

Beate

#7

I agree with Wer.
With proper care, the combination Electrolysis / anesthesia, allows the best possible treatments that anyone can dream.
The skin of the labia of a girl with Rokytanski syndrome could not be treated without the infiltration. The surgeon himself is the one who recommended the combination and if necessary, is ready to infiltrate the area. The surgery also asks uretroplástica this combination.
Furthermore, patients also die at the hands of doctors who want to save the intervention of an anesthesiologist in the operating room. Nobody talks about these cases?
Any anesthesia is a risk if the electrologist not know how to work. The follicular lesion should be the same, with or without anesthesia infiltrated. With or without topical anesthesia. With or without the patient’s sensitivity. It’s a matter of knowing when you are damaged the interfollicular dermis.

#8

If done correctly. By someone who is trained and allowed to apply anesthesia (some of my customers use EMLA, and it is quite reasonable to apply it at home 2 hours before i start with my job)
[qoute]
The skin of the labia of a girl with Rokytanski syndrome could not be treated without the infiltration. The surgeon himself is the one who recommended the combination and if necessary, is ready to infiltrate the area.[/quote]
And that’s perfectly ok: some kind of cooperation between physician and electrologist.
I did something similar when i went to the dentist to numb my upper jaw before letting the electrologist work on my upper lip (and i fell asleep during those two hours).

But it also gives us much more responsibility for our part of the job: the risk of overtreatment is larger, because we have less feedback.

Furthermore, patients also die at the hands of doctors who want to save the intervention of an anesthesiologist in the operating room. Nobody talks about these cases?

Illegal as well, at least here in Germany. But hard to prove in practice.

How does something illegal justify something different which is also illegal?
Actually we are responsible and addressable if we are doing things we are not allowed to do.

Beate

#9

Beate, fortunately I have the pleasure of working with the assistance of a doctor. She is a specialist in intensive care. I have enough experience in working areas to be injected.
So I am authorized to speak on this case. I can assure you that the anesthesia does not pose a risk of overtreatment, to the client or patient. The injury must be the just and necessary to remove hair without overtreated the area. Customer information is unnecessary. The information is provided by careful OBSERVATION OF SKIN IN THE AREA OF WORK.
I’m not saying any nonsense. In my opinion your problem has been caused by careless hands. In this forum you can see many cases of overtreatment without the use of anesthesia.

If you want me I can show minimal injuries resulting from the combination anesthesia / Electrolysis. I can also tell you where it has infiltrated the anesthesia unnecessarily because the electrologist has not been effective in the inserts.

I am not justifying anything illegal. In my country is not legal, if there is no doctor present. So we use topical anesthesia when the doctor is absent. Anesthesia is a great invention, like the Electrolysis. But right hands.

Josefa

#10

Hi Josefa,

my problem has indeed been caused by carelesss hands - she even noticed the heavy reaction of my skin and did not adopt her treatment.

But i did not start this thread because of being overtreated by myself - the young woman who died from the incorrectly applied injection probably has not been overtreated; the college responsible for this death belongs to the better qualified and more experienced collegues. She just did what at this time was not uncommon among german electrologists (and maybe even legal several years ago; the law prohibiting this is from 2005, and i do not know of the legal situation before).

I simply started it as a warning to carefully look and think about who is doing what, and my feelings are that our positions do not differ very much.

I am not justifying anything illegal. In my country is not legal, if there is no doctor present. So we use topical anesthesia when the doctor is absent. Anesthesia is a great invention, like the Electrolysis. [color:#CC0000]But right hands[/color].

This is actually something i would sign.

Beate

#11

Hi:

I’ve never had any pain killer injections, but know that E-3000 uses them regularly and as far as I know have never had any problems with doing so.

From what I’ve heard the person doing the injections has some dental training.

Could someone who knows more about them fill in the blanks here or clarify what their procedure is and all?

Alicia

#12

Anesthesia is a great invention, like the Electrolysis. [color:#CC0000]But right hands[/color].

"This is actually something i would sign.

Beate"

Beate, I completely agree.
I just wanted to clarify the problem of overtreatment because some physicians argue the lack of sensation in the patient as an excuse to discredit the combination Electrolysis / Anesthesia. This is as absurd as if a prospective patient for appendectomy was forced to feel that the surgeon opens his belly.
I also think that you and I advocate the same thing:

Electrolysis correctly applied + Anesthesia applied by licensed professional = THE IDEAL SOLUTION.
Anesthesia without an effective Electrolysis = ZERO
Electrolysis without anesthesia = Ideal situation
Electrolysis/ Anesthesia = Single solution for many patients.
Rokytanski syndrome; pilonidal cyst, scrotal skin preparation in urethroplasty, as well as sex changes (male to female); hypertrichosis lanuginosa, hirsutism, etc. …

All patients in whom the risk of losing his life, compensates continue to suffer the hell of excess hair.

Josefa