Fields was plagued with health problems in the last years of her life. She suffered from diabetes and in March 1976 she had surgery to remove a blood clot but it failed and she developed phlebitis. In April 1976, her left leg was amputated above the knee. This caused her to use a scooter for mobility and file a $2 million lawsuit against the hospital and doctors who had initially treated her. Fields' last television appearance before her surgery was in a rare straight dramatic guest-starring role on the CBS-TV drama series "Medical Center", which aired on February 23, 1976. In that episode, "Life, Death, and Mrs. Armbruster", Fields played Phoebe Armbruster, a hospital janitor plagued by heart problems.