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Wrong Patient Surgery: Doctor's Knife Stops Mid-Op Discovery
16 Apr
Summary
- Surgeon halted operation upon discovering the wrong patient on the table.
- Two patients shared an identical name, leading to the grave error.
- An investigation committee has been formed to probe the incident.
On March 7, a surgical team at Trauma Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (IMS-BHU) paused an operation mid-procedure due to a critical patient identification error. The team realized they were operating on a 71-year-old woman's leg instead of her intended spinal surgery.
This mix-up stemmed from two patients named Radhika Devi being admitted to different departments. The 71-year-old was mistakenly identified for orthopedic surgery, while the other Radhika Devi, 82, required spine treatment. The error was discovered only after an incision was made.
The patient underwent the correct spinal surgery on March 18. Tragically, she later developed severe respiratory distress on March 27 and died from cardiopulmonary arrest. Her grandson filed a complaint alleging the erroneous surgery caused complications.
IMS-BHU director stated a committee is investigating the serious matter to ascertain accountability. A fact-finding committee, initially formed on April 2, was reconstituted. The committee has been given 10 days to submit its report.
