Surgeon Removes Kidney Instead of Gallbladder
In June 2006, a surgeon at the Milford Regional Medical Center in Massachusetts mistakenly removed an 84-year-old woman's right kidney instead of her gallbladder.
According to local news reports, the surgeon made the error after misinterpreting test results that were intended to help guide him in operating amid internal bleeding and swelling. Complicating the situation was the fact that the women's organs were in such poor condition that it was only after the kidney had been removed and was being examined after the surgery that doctors learned the organ was not the patient's gallbladder.
Fortunately, the patient recovered, and even though her gallbladder remained intact doctors determined that it would not need to be removed after all. The Massachusetts Board of Registration initially suspended the surgeon's license, but he was later allowed to practice surgery on a probationary basis for a five-year period -- a probation that is still in effect.
A spokesperson from Milford Regional Medical Center said that in the time since the incident, the hospital has taken steps to ensure patient safety in the operating room to reduce the likelihood of such a mistake happening again. A lawsuit was never filed in connection with the incident.
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