[luvmy3kids]

It's bad enough going through something like that in the first place... now patients are going to panic about this too.

When I had my gall-bladder out in Dec. as an emergency... the Doc had been running around for 12+ hrs (he saw me at 9am just before a surgery to talk to me... then finally got to me about 10pm)...I knew he was tired, running around like crazy etc.. When he finally got to me, he looked at me and said, "Allright.. lets take out that appendix!" I about had a heart attack. I'm sure they would have figured it out beforehand... but the entire time I was being wheeled into the OR, I kept repeating myself.. I'm here because of my gall-bladder... you know that right??

It was very stressful. Patients shouldn't have to worry about that.

This is such a sad story. I feel so bad for this guy and his family. Ugg

[hikernurse]

Oh dear, how devastating for everyone involved .

[luvmy3kids]

Here is an update:

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_arti...storyid=501941

[RN-Cardiac]

Wow,..my husband had this same surgery a little over two years ago. I saw the CT, the tumor was obvious. It never occured to me to say "hey doc can I take a peek at your H&P and be sure you dictated the RIGHT (not LEFT) kidney." As another poster said,.the day of the surgery they repeatedly asked what procedure was being done and even had my husband mark an X on the R side and initial it with a sharpie!! But had we been told the wrong kidney,...wow,...although he had right sided pain but I can sooo see how this could happen as the cancer isn't obvious by looking at the site w/o the CT!!

You would have thought the surgeon would have noticed that he was looking at a healthy kidney when he got in there! What a horrible, horrible thing to happen.

[NRSKarenRN]

Carlson says standard protocols were followed in the Methodist Hospital operating room to prevent wrong-site surgery, but revealed that a new safety protocol has been added. Methodist Hospital surgeons will now be required to double check MRI or CT scans before starting surgery.

24 yrs ago DH was in the hospital for kidney stone removal: doc operated on the wrong side for stone basket retrieval as had xrays from prior year up on film viewer (noted by his former office RN now working for partner who'd split, she'd stopped by OR to set up another case on way)---pointed out to doc who still proceded with surgery. So glad safety concerns taken more seriously today.

[KaroSnowQueen]

In 1976 my grandfather was admitted for lung cancer. Dr. X (a well respected pulmonary surgeon in our region) took out a lung, announced to the family that it was a miracle, there was no lung cancer. Two days later he called the family in for another meeting, stated he had hung the xray up backwards, and taken out the healthy lung. The remaining lung was eaten up with cancer and my grandfather was dead within six months.
After being sued, and getting a ridiculously small judgement, he then went off to be a military doctor in North Carolina!!!!!!!!!! I pity the poor servicemen he cared for!!!

[ABQstudent]

While it may be more paperwork for us, if it keeps this from happening, I'll do it.

[Ni_Ni]

That is awful!! I and a few of my family members have actually been patients at that hospital. When my grandfather got a knee replacement a few months back and marked his own legs, I told him he was crazy, but maybe he wasn't so crazy. I have noticed in charting where I work that nurses have documented on the wrong side. i.e. a person has a sore on their left heel but the nurse charting it for the first time charts that it's on the right heel. Many times this goes uncorrected for days, sometimes weeks. Either these nurses don't know their rights from their lefts or they just aren't paying that close attention to their work.

[StudentNurseBean]

Oh my gosh, that is horrible Understandably the hospital is stepping up to the plate. They have no option but to do so. That poor man. I hope the outcome is positive for him. Geezus!!

[StacieRN]

I have a very extensive stable DVT in my left shoulder, arm and neck. When I had to go under anesthesia, I wrote "DVT - NO STICKS OR BPs" all over those areas. You never know what may happen when you're out and how well informed everyone on the surgical team is.