The Lombardi Law Firm Blog

Wrong Side Surgery

Surgeon operates on patient's wrong side

July 6, 2008

This has to be one of those stories that just makes your heart sink and it is no more personal than to the patient and medical staff, and how do you make it right or take appropriate action to lessen the occurrence?  Difficult answer by all means from every angle and nobody can feel any worse than the patient and the surgeon. 

Also, read the message from CEO, Paul Levy in awareness in bringing it to the forefront.  As we all are so rushed today it is unfortunate that something was missed along the way.  Hats off to being transparent about the situation and also for keeping the identity of the patient confidential as well, as one little slip through the cracks and the patient could end up being a poster child, with or without their knowledge.  Tough question he’s asking to ponder using videos   Video is capturing half of what we do in the world today so should it be extended to the OR?  Would it offer beneficial information for the learning process? 

One thing stated though is that more ”time outs” are on the agenda for the future.  Being rushed today affects every industry and creates errors as that is the fast paced world we live in today, and healthcare has it’s share, just read the news, and when something like this happens, it forces us to take time out and rethink about how to balance and prioritize.  Again, a gut wrenching story , and I think “time outs” are something of value that serve to be of benefit in all areas of our lives.  We are all just still humans helping other humans.   BD 

An experienced surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center operated on the wrong side of a patient this week, a serious medical mistake disclosed in a memo that hospital administrators sent to staff members today via e-mail. State authorities are investigating the errant surgery, which happened Monday during an elective operation. A hospital administrator declined to provide specifics about the operation but said it did not involve removal of organs and did not cause permanent damage to the patient, described as middle-aged.

Surgeon operates on patient's wrong side - White Coat Notes - Boston.com

http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2008/07/surgeon-operates-on-patient-wrong-side.html