Those founded on injuries to the person or wrongful death against any physician and surgeon, osteopath, osteopathic physician and surgeon, dentist, podiatric physician, optometrist, pharmacist, chiropractor, physician assistant, or nurse, licensed under chapter 147, or a hospital licensed under chapter 135B, arising out of patient care, within two years after the date on which the claimant knew, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have known, or received notice in writing of the existence of, the injury or death for which damages are sought in the action, whichever of the dates occurs first, but in no event shall any action be brought more than six years after the date on which occurred the act or omission or occurrence alleged in the action to have been the cause of the injury or death unless a foreign object unintentionally left in the body caused the injury or death.
Vacura v. Plott, 666 F.2d 1200 (8th Cir. 1981) , applying Iowa law. (Summary judgment for the defendant was held improper where a question of fact existed as to when the plaintiff discovered that the defendant's negligence had caused the injury. The plaintiff lost the normal use of the voice following a thyroidectomy, when the laryngeal nerve had been severed.)
Fitz v. Dolyak, 712 F.2d 330 (8th Cir. 1983) , applying Iowa law. (An action for the negligent injection of breasts with silicone brought 13 years after the treatment is barred by the Iowa six-year statute, notwithstanding the contention that the statute is unconstitutional because it differentiates cases of "foreign objects," permitting discovery in such cases to be the starting point of the limitation period.)