18-Year-Old Undergoes Emergency Treatment After Acid Mistaken for Anesthetic in Nasal Surgery

An 18-year-old woman arrived for a cosmetic nasal surgery at TLV Medical Center on Friday. During the preparation phase, a tampon soaked in acid was mistakenly inserted into her nose instead of an anesthetic agent. The medical team quickly recognized the error, sedated and intubated her, and transferred her by Magen David Adom ambulance to Ichilov Hospital, where she was admitted to the intensive care unit.

The patient's mother told Kan News that the acid caused severe burns from the nasal cavity down to the vocal cords, describing the incident as "serious medical negligence." At Ichilov Hospital, doctors managed to stabilize the young woman, who is no longer sedated but remains hospitalized. Medical staff have yet to fully assess the extent of the damage caused by the mistake.

Dr. Michan Biran, the medical director of TLV Medical, explained that the error was due to a human mistake by an experienced nurse who inserted the acid-soaked tampon instead of an anesthetic. The tampon was removed within less than a minute after the error was discovered. Further examinations ruled out damage to the stomach or other organs. The incident is under investigation.