Man Dies After Surgery On Wrong Side Of Brain

[Birdbomb]

An 86-year-old man has died three weeks after a surgeon operated on the wrong side of his head, and state health authorities were investigating whether the mistake contributed to his death.

The patient, whose name wasn't released, died Saturday. The state medical examiner was determining the cause of death, according to a spokeswoman for the state health department.

The man underwent emergency surgery at Rhode Island Hospital on July 30 to treat bleeding in his brain, according to a state report released Thursday.

A nurse practitioner for Dr. Frederick Harrington didn't record which side of the man's brain required surgery. ...

http://wbztv.com/topstories/local_story_236092731.html

Must use link, this is copyrighted material

[brain]

i

Am

Wordless!

[Birdbomb]

Pretty damn careless! Wonder if the family will win their malpractice.

[Bernard]

Unfortunately, stories like this do pop up from time to time. Surgeons and doctors are people too and people make mistakes.

[Birdbomb]

This wasn't an honest mistake, it was just plain sloppy. The Dr. failed to record which SIDE of the brain and then relied on his MEMORY?

I have had bilateral knee replacements and bilateral carpel tunnel surgery and that synoval mass removed, among my lists of surgeries. Many safety precautions are put into play BEFORE we ever enter the surgery theater. The opposite body part NOT getting surgery is marked "DO NOT OPEN" in red. The part to operated on has the DR. initals on it, in blue. I am asked by the charge nurse, anesthesiaologist, AND Dr what and where my surgery is.

Too many of these "oops, my faux pas! sorry about that!" surgeries happen. That's utter bullshit when a person's very life is in the hands of a Dr relying only on his memory. One must take in considerstion the patient load these doctor's have. Who hasn't been mistaken for another patient? They cannot possibly remember EVERY patient's chart.


IMHO He needs to be brought up on manslaughter charges.

[Bernard]

I agree. I just said it happens - much like the stories of people who are sewn up after surgery and have to be re-opened later because the docs left sponges or surgical tools inside them!

I also remember reading stories of people having the wrong limbs amputated.

[Birdbomb]

The VA hospitals are notorious for shit like that.

They pulled a fast on on old man. He has these really bad hammertoes. So one needed to be amputated on his right foot. But the doc wanted to break and reset one on his left foot too. Old man could not take the time off work needed for the recovery of break, at least 6-8 weeks, but the amputation recovery time is only a couple of weeks. He TOLD the Doc NO way, only do the amputation.

When he woke up, both feet were bandaged. Doc did what he wanted REGARDLESS of my husband's decision. That toe had a pin in it to keep it in position and you know what else old man recieved from that VA hospital?

MRSA

We have been battling MRSA ever since. He's had 15 hospital admissions, 20+ bouts of celluitious, gone septic 3 times, had 2 PICC lines, and nearly died this past Jan.



I won't even get into the medical malpractice that caused the death of both my parents in 2005.

In this day and age, there is NO excuse good enough to cover any doctor's "mistake" human or not.

[BIGMAN131307]

[COLOR="Blue"]This wasn't an honest mistake, it was just plain sloppy. The Dr. failed to record which SIDE of the brain and then relied on his MEMORY?

The man underwent emergency surgery at Rhode Island Hospital on July 30 to treat bleeding in his brain, according to a state report released Thursday.

A nurse practitioner for Dr. Frederick Harrington didn't record which side of the man's brain required surgery. When another nurse pointed out the missing information, Harrington allegedly relied on his memory without consulting a CT chart and began operating on the wrong side. Upon realizing the error during the surgery, the surgeon operated on the correct side

NP's shouldn't be responsible for getting this information. The DR's are responsible for their actions. This is part of the reason why I dislike NP's involved in my care. They are not DR's
and shouldn't try to be one. Nobody can remember everything, about everything. We all need to take notes about important information. Anytime a surgeon is going to operate on a person for anything, they must have all the proper information readily available.

IMHO He needs to be brought up on manslaughter charges.

Agreed, the NP should also be brought up on charges: accessory to manslaughter.

[Nancy]

Two months after my first brain surgery I had to have - good grief - breast surgery.

Before things started a RN came into my room to explain things and she carried a large Magic Marker. She directed me to draw a large X on the breast that would NOT receive surgery. I asked if she could do it and she said I had to do it myself ... it was my responsibility to make certain that breast was marked so the correct breast received surgery.

[angel]

Two months after my first brain surgery I had to have - good grief - breast surgery.

Before things started a RN came into my room to explain things and she carried a large Magic Marker. She directed me to draw a large X on the breast that would NOT receive surgery. I asked if she could do it and she said I had to do it myself ... it was my responsibility to make certain that breast was marked so the correct breast received surgery.

my neurologist brought up surgery once and only once to me.... he said well, there is surgeries. I said No WAY... i think it was brought up because i have Spasmodic Torticollis "CD" and epilepsy.." the keppra seems to help both"
he dropped it and its not been brought up again.. I kinda had my hand in the air like talk to the hand i don't want to even think about that right now.....

I actually hurt all over when i read some of your post's about surgery and stuff like that Ouch.... Ive had major kidney surgery thats enough for me thanks ....



love angel

[Birdbomb]

Here's another screw up

Oops! sorry about removing that non-existant brain tumor!

Name mixup

[brain]

Oh gee whiz -- remind me not to be
anywhere near that place!

[Bernard]

Oops! sorry about removing that non-existant brain tumor!

[speber]

Does the phrase "ALTERNATIVE" come to mind here?

[Bernard]

The plot thickens....

The same hospital in Rhode Island mentioned in the original post has now made its 3rd brain surgery mistake of the year!

Rhode Island Hospital has been fined $50,000 and reprimanded by the state Department of Health after its third instance this year of a doctor performing brain surgery in the wrong side of a patient's head.

"We are extremely concerned about this continuing pattern," health department director David R. Gifford said in a statement Monday.

Hospital makes 3rd brain surgery mistake (I hate linking to Yahoo News - they delete old items from the server)

[Birdbomb]

Thanks for posting that, I was just too tired last night to add it!

[note to self] stay the HELL out of Rhode Island [/note]

[brain]

Thanks for posting that, I was just too tired last night to add it!

[note to self] stay the HELL out of Rhode Island [/note]

[recollection of the past]
Isn't that where they had a Major Nuke Plant
Boo-Boo? 3 Mile Island? Wasn't it?
[/recollection of the past]

[Zoe]

The plot thickens....

The same hospital in Rhode Island mentioned in the original post has now made its 3rd brain surgery mistake of the year!



Hospital makes 3rd brain surgery mistake (I hate linking to Yahoo News - they delete old items from the server)

Right! And when it comes to brain surgery, three strikes and they're still allowed to play!

[brain]

Right! And when it comes to brain surgery, three strikes and they're still allowed to play!

Zoe - I'm afraid to ask what Inning
it is over there!

[davidmc]

The VA hospitals are notorious for shit like that.

They pulled a fast on on old man. He has these really bad hammertoes. So one needed to be amputated on his right foot. But the doc wanted to break and reset one on his left foot too. Old man could not take the time off work needed for the recovery of break, at least 6-8 weeks, but the amputation recovery time is only a couple of weeks. He TOLD the Doc NO way, only do the amputation.

When he woke up, both feet were bandaged. Doc did what he wanted REGARDLESS of my husband's decision. That toe had a pin in it to keep it in position and you know what else old man recieved from that VA hospital?

MRSA

We have been battling MRSA ever since. He's had 15 hospital admissions, 20+ bouts of celluitious, gone septic 3 times, had 2 PICC lines, and nearly died this past Jan.



I won't even get into the medical malpractice that caused the death of both my parents in 2005.

In this day and age, there is NO excuse good enough to cover any doctor's "mistake" human or not.

In 1999, my dad died of a heart attack at North Manchester General. On the day of his death, he was coughing up blood, we kept trying to get somebody to help, but all the staff ignored us and walked away. We were all polite but they couldn't be bothered to help a dying man.
The last staff member that walked past, I again asked him to help. He looked at me and walked away. This time I swore, the only time I have ever swore at NHS staff, and told him something like (this is the polite version of what I said "You had better get here now." That shocked him (and my family, I'd never spoken to anyone in authority like that before but being polite wasn't working) and he got the staff to do their job but he died minutes later. Maybe if the staff hadn't have been so lazy, he would have survived, I don't know.