Brain surgery patient wakes up to discovery wrong side of head operated on

[matcom]

<snip>

When Elie Ghawi woke up from brain surgery at Loyola University Medical Center, he discovered his surgeon had operated on the wrong side of his head, a lawsuit claims.

The next year, the same thing happened to Rashida Aziz, a patient at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center, a second lawsuit alleges.

Such wrong-site surgeries happen with surprising frequency, despite efforts in recent years by medical groups to prevent them.

For example, surgeons have removed a mole from the wrong hand, operated on the wrong knee, performed a mastectomy on the wrong breast and amputated the wrong leg, said Dr. Peter Angood of the Joint Commission International Center for Patient Safety.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-wrongsurg09.html

[Hugin]

1. Too busy for a copy cat in the lounge... But, I would've said.

"Brain surgery patient wakes up to discovery wrong head operated on"

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

2. Where do you find these stories ?

[DrDebug]

3. Clockwise: Left Right

'The train to Norwich' he asks the porter
'On the left gov'
'Right'
'Left'

"Left."
"Right."
"No, Left."
"Right."
"No..." etc."

[ProfessorGAC]

4. I Saw That On The News Last Night

My wife and i were watching the Channel 7 news (ABC, local) and this came on. We were both dumbfounded.

Once the skull was opened, and there was absolutely nothing wrong, the doctor went and checked the MRI. You think maybe he might have checked the MRI BEFORE he started drilling or something.

But, NOOOOOO!

This is actually pretty incredible.
The Professor

[underpants]

7. There were supposed to be new requirements implemented for this

I can't think of what to google (no joke intended there) but I remember this from about a year ago.

Before any and all surgery in the hospital room someone from the surgery staff (the surgeon would be great) is supposed to talk to the patient and make sure their chart is correct on the basic "which leg?" question. Also before surgery begins the surgical team is supposed to have a "reset" and everyone double checks to make sure they are all on the "same page" specifically which procedure and what body part is the focus.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Wuhna, Cuhna, Shuhna!

(Thanks to Seymour Skinner).

Yeah, you're right. They mentioned that last night too. Apparently, Little Tommy, that's not what happened here. Seems like maybe a surgeon might want to be 100% certain he was drilling holes in the correct side of somebody's skull.

But, that's just me.
The Professor

[underpants]

9. Little Tommy says

Thanks .....but you morons operated on the wrong F**KING SIDE OF MY BRAIN (apparently the surgery switched Little Tommy into Little Johnny)

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Sorry. Another Drop In

Back when i was in high school, a major DJ named Larry Lujack used to do a bit called "Animal Stories". It was funny stuff about pets, and zoos, and hunters and stuff like that.

His news guy participated as his sidekick and they were Little Tommy and Uncle Lar. Anytime Tom would ask Larry how something occurred, the reply started "Well, apparently Little Tommy. . ."

It's been stuck in my head ever since.
The Professor

[underpants]

12. Little Johnny jokes

basically are meant to infuse horrible language into a story about an 8 year old boy. Little Johnny cusses....a lot!

[supernova]

13. Magic markers

Both surgeons whom I had came around the evening before and literally marked me up with a marker (wears off of course) about where they were gonna cut, how they were gonna cut, etc., effectively making me into a living diagram.

I thought it was kinda funny at the time. I was a kid. But, you know what? In an instance like this it makes perfect sense.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Yes. That'd Be Ok By Me, Too!

I mean, come on. Ink comes off, eventually. Even permanent markers will go away as the new outer layer of skin takes over.

But, getting the wrong part cut out or off! That's horrible.

I like what your doctors did.
The Professor

[supernova]

16. The thread about the girl and her radiation reminded me

I just remember this:

The medical center here, if you have to have radiation, they give you a tattoo for that area so the rad tech knows where to aim the machine.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Another Good Idea

The Professor

[underpants]

5. Uh Bill was that HER left or OUR left?

Bill tries to avoid eye contact.

[mark414]

6. amputated the wrong leg?!?!?!

:wtf:

[underpants]

10. LOOK! this isn't rocket science for crying out loud

it's brain surgery

[leftofthedial]

14. I played baseball with a guy who had the wrong knee cut on

his main tool was his speed

until then.