Six-figure payout for man who lost penis to flesh-eating bug

A man who lost most of his penis to a flesh-eating superbug following surgery at an Essex hospital has won a six-figure payout.

Cancer patient Andrew Lane, 63, contracted necrotising fasciitis - a potentially fatal infection of soft tissue in the body - following an operation to remove his prostate gland in March 2013, the Daily Mail reports.

His bowel was punctured during the procedure but staff at Southend University Hospital “only noticed the injury six days later”, the newspaper adds.

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Lane, from Thurrock in Essex, was reportedly rushed back into surgery but the damage caused by the infection was so severe that he was left with just an inch-and-a-half of his penis, The Guardian adds.

Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust admitted that there were “failures” in diagnosing the problem, but Lane, who works as a carer, says he has yet to receive an apology.

“Knowing that just a scan a few days earlier would have prevented all of this is very difficult to accept,” he added.

Following the life-changing operation, Lane has been left incontinent and has been treated for depression.

“I’ve been compensated, but I’ll never get my health back and I just want other people to be aware of how dangerous this flesh-eating bug is,” he said. “If you don’t feel you are getting the right treatment, you have got to speak out.”

Lane married his partner of 18 years, Sue, “shortly after being discharged from hospital” but can no longer have sex, The Guardian adds.

“It’s been a difficult thing to come to terms with for both of us,” he said. “I know Sue still loves me, but I do feel less of a man.”