Rhode Island Hospital, located in Providence, has released information about the third wrong site surgery performed in the facility this year.
Wrong site surgery, where the correct surgery is performed on the wrong part of the body or the wrong patient, is supposed to be prevented by "time outs" and staff double checking the procedure and the patient. In this case, the wrong finger was operated upon after the correct hand was marked before surgery, but the correct finger was not marked.
The wrong site surgery prior to this one was performed on a child who needed a cleft palate repair. In that case, the wrong side of the mouth was operated upon. While the inside of the mouth cannot be marked, in this case, the wrong side of the mouth was indicated on the skin by the surgeon and staff did not catch the mistake.
The hospital has a history of wrong site surgeries, in the past, the center had three wrong site brain surgeries performed in one year. Those mistakes, coupled with the three surgeries this year, have led to a large fine and potentially further action against the hospital.
So, how do you as a patient prevent wrong site surgery from happening to you? Insist that the doctor mark the surgery site while you are still awake and before any medications are given that relax you or make you sleepy.
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