Doctors treated his ingrown toenail, but then he almost died. He wants millions

Thirty-year-old Lukáš Kozel went to the hospital at the end of 2021 for a simple procedure. But he ended up in a life-threatening condition. And he is still dealing with the consequences to this day.

The reason for his first visit to the doctors was a small thing – an ingrown toenail. He therefore underwent its surgical removal at the ambulance in Orlová, which falls under the Karviná-Ráj Hospital. However, they claim that the medical staff there were negligent in their care.

The subsequent problems might not have gone so far if the doctors had put the patient on antibiotics or dealt with the infection that developed after the procedure earlier. This follows from a court expert opinion, which the man in question had prepared.

“Antibiotics were not administered or recommended. This is considered professional misconduct. The correct procedure would be if antibiotics were administered at the first signs of infection,” stated doctor and expert Zbyněk Danda.

The Seznam Zpráv editors have the complete report and related medical documentation available. “If the procedure was correct, there would be an infection of the surgical wound, but the consequences would be less,” it says.

The Karvina Hospital refused to comment on the case. “The investigation of the whole matter is currently underway and without its conclusion and the necessary statements we cannot provide you with information about the case,” said press spokesperson Marcela Hladká without further details.

The original procedure went without any problems. But after four days, the first problems appeared. “I couldn’t walk, it started to turn red. Of course, it was already a little red after the procedure, I thought that was normal,” says Lukáš Kozel.

But the pain increased, and he also developed a high fever. He therefore looked for a doctor again. However, he claims that he was not properly examined at the ambulance in Orlová.

“I’ve been there three times and I’ve said that I’m in love with it. Every time they just smeared it with cherry salve. They didn’t investigate me, they always sent me home,” Kozel describes. “It was sheer neglect.”

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Doctors first suspected gouty arthritis. The patient was therefore sent to a general practitioner for blood sampling. As can be seen from the medical documentation, the nurse made a mistake and did tests for rheumatism. Waiting for the results therefore took several days, during which the man was in great pain.

However, the medical staff at the Orlov hospital allegedly repeated that he should wait for the results of the samples. “They didn’t do any tests on me at all, not even for CRP (value of C-reactive protein in the blood, editor’s note). I could feel that leg swelling. I was already at such a stage that my girlfriend took me to the hospital. I was in a wheelchair because I was unable to walk,” Kozel recalls the events of two and a half years ago.

“I was at my lowest point mentally, I lost a lot of weight, I wouldn’t eat or drink. I threw up what I drank. I didn’t even make it to the toilet, I peed in the bucket I had by the bed,” he adds.

After a few more days, the pain was so great that he called the emergency services, which brought him to the emergency room at Havířov Hospital. They diagnosed him with acute sepsis (blood poisoning) and immediately operated on him.

He had a CRP value of over 200. This indicates a serious infection, in a healthy person the value is around five. “The doctors told me I could have died,” the man recalls.

Lukáš Kozl’s world turned upside down. After three quarters of a year, he had to undergo another operation, and he still regularly visits doctors.

Before the incident, he worked as a miner and lumberjack, and also drove a truck on a part-time basis. But he can no longer perform these occupations because of the pain, for example he can only drive with great restrictions. “The leg is still swollen, I take several pills a day, I have problems with it all the time,” he explains.

Before, he also liked sports, mainly playing football, riding a bike or going for walks. He had to stop these activities as well.

“The worst thing is the work, it’s a terrible restriction. I can walk but I have a limp and my leg hurts. In addition, with my medical record, I will not pass the initial medical examination at any company. At the age of 34, I don’t know what will happen and how I will take care of my child,” she reflects.

However, he did not reach the disability pension by several percent. “It’s destroying me financially, my former employer is helping me with the money. I might not have been able to do it without him,” he complains.

Therefore, he first addressed a complaint to the hospital, followed by a pre-suit summons. He wants to sue the units of millions of crowns. “I asked for compensation for the painful and difficult social application. It is estimated at approximately 500 thousand crowns. Plus the costs of expert opinions and a lawyer. Then I will ask for money for non-property damage,” the man calculates.

The central point of his complaint is the suspicion that the doctors neglected their duties. The court expert Danda also came to this conclusion. “Any wound or surgical intervention can become infected. This cannot be prevented. However, the doctor should know how to prevent it or how to treat it in case of infection. In this particular case, it can be assessed as neglect of professional duties. Other health professionals are not responsible for the chosen procedure,” he wrote.

“With partial ablation (removal, editor’s note) of the nail, when it is an open wound, infection is unlikely. In this case, it is a combination of exceptional events. But every doctor should be able to recognize the symptoms of infection,” the report states.

The hospital has not yet decided on a possible award of compensation, and according to Lukáš Kozlo, it has not yet responded to the pre-lawsuit request. However, the deadline for the hospital to pay the costs for the provision of legal assistance expired at the beginning of April. The whole matter should therefore go to court soon.