Austrian hospital doctors offer psychological help to a patient after amputating the wrong leg and calling the scene a “tragic mistake.”
Doctors at Austrian hospital amputate wrong leg of elderly man
An Austrian hospital amputated the wrong leg of a patient, it said Thursday, blaming human error for what it called a “tragic mistake.”
The elderly patient suffers from numerous illnesses.
Previous illnesses have affected his legs, to the point where his left leg required amputation.
The Freistadt Clinic, which is located in the town of the same name near the Czech border, was where this act took place.
“We are deeply shocked that on Tuesday, May 18, despite quality assurance standards, the wrong leg of an 82-year-old man was amputated…”
The clinic noted, adding that the error occurred when the patient underwent a dressing change on Thursday morning.
All indications are that, the error was witnessed shortly before the start of the operation, when the leg to be amputated was marked, the clinic said.
“Unfortunately, the error, in which the right leg was removed instead of the left, occurred as a result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances,” the clinic said.
Adding that it was investigating what happened and would review its policies.
The patient has been offered psychological assistance and has yet to undergo another operation to remove his left leg from mid-thigh.
“The operation is scheduled shortly,” the clinic said.
