A 72-year-old woman was left paralyzed after receiving the wrong medication during surgery at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, WSMV reports.
Ascension Saint Thomas said four patients were harmed during an incident at the hospital on Church Street. One of them was Glenda Dorton, who went in Friday for a knee replacement. Her family says she was expected to receive an epidural for pain management but was mistakenly given potassium chloride.
According to her family, Dorton is now paralyzed from the chest down and is in the intensive care unit as doctors determine whether any of the damage can be reversed.
Ascension Saint Thomas has not released details about the incident or identified the other three patients, citing privacy laws.
Hospital President and CEO Dr. Shubhada Jagasia apologized to the affected patients and their families, saying the hospital has met with them to offer support.
According to the hospital, state health officials were notified of the incident on the day it occurred and began reviewing what happened. The hospital says changes have already been made to help prevent a similar incident, but it has not shared what led to the patients being harmed.
The hospital has not confirmed the family’s claim that the woman received the wrong medication.
The investigation is ongoing.
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