LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian doctors amputated the healthy leg of an 86-year-old man, then amputated the other leg when they realized their mistake. "I was shocked when I lifted the sheets and saw they had taken his left leg," the man's daughter, Carmen Villanueva, told Peruvian radio station RPP. "The ulcer was on his right leg and they had to amputate that one too to keep the infection from spreading," she said. The Alberto Sabogal Hospital in the coastal district of Callao just north of Lima said it had suspended the doctors involved in the botched surgery for a life-threatening ulcer, pending an investigation. Source
"Time out" is a modern Operating Room safety concept that should have been employed. In such events, immediately before any invasive procedure is done, a mandatory Time Out period is declared. A series of standard questions is then asked of all participants who are present (doctors, nurses, anesthesia, techs, etc); the name of the patient, his medical record number, what procedure is being performed and why, and amongst other questions, if it is site specific and if "Laterality" (sidedness; ie left side or right side) matters. All participants have to be in agreement before the procedure can start. Such a safety protocol, which usually takes less than 30 seconds, would have easily detected and prevented this needless tragedy. Sad.
