TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Tampa General Patient Nearly Gets Wrong Procedure

ADVERTISEMENT

By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 28, 2008

TAMPA - Doctors at Tampa General Hospital had just started a nonsurgical heart procedure last week on a man when they realized there was a mistake.

A long, thin tube known as a cardiac catheter had been inserted into the wrong patient.

The patient, who was not harmed during the diagnostic procedure, was at the hospital for a different treatment, Tampa General Hospital spokesman John Dunn said today.

Dunn did not elaborate on the actual treatment the male patient was scheduled for because of medical privacy laws. The names of the patient and the medical staff involved were not released by the hospital.

The man was sedated but not under anesthesia. No incisions were made and no dye was injected, he said.

"We are treating this as a serious incident," Dunn said. "We have found the staff involved failed to follow the proper procedures for patient identification."

The error was discovered soon after the catheter was inserted into the patient's groin, Dunn said. He did not say how doctors realized the mistake, but said "the staff spoke to the patient to verify his identification rather than reading his wristband I.D."

The physician explained to the patient what happened and apologized. The man was then discharged. He is still receiving his regular treatments from his doctors at the hospital.

Dunn said he is not aware of any medical malpractice suit being filed.

An internal review is being completed and the hospital will file a report with state and local agencies, he said.

The staff involved in the mistake "will be subject to the appropriate disciplinary action" after the internal review is completed and the report is filed, he said.

A cardiac catheter is a thin tube inserted into the arm or leg, according to Web site of the American Heart Association. The tube then can be pushed into the chambers of the heart or into the coronary arteries.

The diagnostic procedure can measure blood pressure within the heart or how much oxygen is in the blood, the Web site said. Dye can be injected into the tube to examine blocked arteries.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT