An 18-year-old boy died when doctors tried to create a vagina for him using part of his colon.
His colon was used because puberty blockers stopped growth of his genitals, which meant there wasn’t enough tissue to do the penile inversion surgery.
Major complications began within 24 hours of surgery, and necrotising fasciitis was confirmed in the days that followed. Despite large doses of antibiotics and repeated removal of dead or infected tissue, the previously healthy patient went into multiple organ failure and died.
The investigation into the young person’s death revealed that the deadly strain of E-Coli most likely came from the patient’s own intestines, not from the hospital setting, meaning that it is more risky to undergo vaginoplasty surgery deem necessary due to early puberty suppression.
