Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown leaders shared an updated to explain how at least one patient was left paralyzed from a knee replacement surgery Aug. 14, saying "an isolated medication error occurred in our pharmacy" and impacted four joint replacement patients.
"The patients mistakenly received potassium phosphate instead of the intended anesthetic medication mepivacaine," according to the hospital statement. "The four patients experienced adverse health reactions and received immediate medical care."
Hospital officials haven't answered questions about the extent of the impact on the four patients, citing patient confidentiality. Kristina Dorton told reporters that her mother-in-law, avid gardener Glenda Dorton, is one of the four patients and
is paralyzed despite the interventions attempted by doctors after the mistake was discovered when she was in recovery from surgery.
Glenda Dorton, 72, had remained active after retirement along with Marvin Dorton, her husband of more than 50 years.
Ascension officials said once the mistake was discovered on Aug. 14, they self-reported to state regulators, conducted a comprehensive investigation and confirmed the mistake was limited to the four patients receiving joint replacements that day.
Midtown has implemented additional physical, technological and clinical safeguards to include storing the medications in separate areas with distinct markings to "eliminate selection errors," a mandatory "hard-stop and escalation" policy when there is a spinal mediation scan alert and independent dual verification for spinal medicine workflows that now require a second trained pharmacist to conduct final visual and physical checks.
Beth Warren covers health care and can be reached at bwarren@tennessean.com or on X at @BethWarrenCJ.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ascension explains pharmacy error that paralyzed at least one patient
