Hospital Starts Surgery On Wrong Patient

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa General Hospital officials said staff members mistakenly started performing a cardiac catheterization on the wrong patient. The man was not harmed.
Hospital spokesman John Dunn said staff members failed to follow proper hospital protocol to identify the patient before the medicalprocedure. The hospital is conducting an internal investigation.
Hospital officials said a doctor "had inserted a catheter and was taking readings, but they hadn't injected any dye."
The hospital did not identify the patient or medical staff involved.


What Is Cardiac Catheterization?
Cardiac catheterization is a surgical procedure used to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions. A long, thin, flexible tube is put into a blood vessel in the patient's arm, upper thigh or neck, and threaded to the heart. Using the catheter, doctors can diagnose and treat heart problems.
Sometimes a dye is inserted through the catheter to make the insides of the heart and blood vessels show up on an x-ray, so doctors can see if there is any build-up along the arteries of the heart.
Cardiac catheterrizations are usually performed while the patient is awake, but sedated.