Surgeon operates on Wrong Knee - Massachusetts

In the Worcester area in Massachusetts, the surgeon operated on the wrong knee. The hospital has apologized and the patient was not charged. A time out was conducted and the wrong knee was still operated on.

Again, hats off for keeping this a private issue for the patient. All procedures were followed according the the report, but what is going on in the immediate environment at the time also has an effect. Just yesterday I commented on the exact same issue on an post about how aviation and healthcare share the same ideas as far as a checklist. On a sunny warm day versus blizzard conditions, the inspection done on an aircraft may vary, in other words it’s back to the immediate environment that could impact exactly how procedures are followed.

Personal issues can be a distraction and there’s not much that can be done on that end of cycle as we can’t control the thought process of a surgery team by any means but each one individually does this for themselves. Again, unfortunate once more, but when something likes this happens, it somewhat makes everyone stop and think and hopefully be contributors to potential solutions to avoid the same or similar type of incident again, after all surgery is teamwork of the most crucial type. BD

GARDNER— A local orthopedic surgeon operated on the wrong knee of a patient who went to Heywood Hospital last month for arthroscopic surgery, hospital officials have confirmed.
In a written statement, hospital officials said a case of “wrong-site surgery” has prompted a review of policies and procedures, and an analysis of factors that may have contributed to the error.
“We are deeply sorry that this happened and we are committed to ensuring that it does not occur again,” hospital President and CEO Daniel P. Moen said.