Main image via Britannica , The Pigeon Express
There have been countless horror movies showing an operation going wrong before but one man unfortunately went through a real-life nightmare.
An elderly man had the wrong leg amputated in an operation gone wrong, at an Austrian hospital after what the hospital called a “tragic mistake” involving human error.
The mistake was discovered during a bandage change after the operation and the man now still has to undergo another operation to remove the “correct leg”.
"We are deeply shocked that on Tuesday, May 18, despite quality assurance standards, the wrong leg of an 82-year old man ... was amputated," Freistadt Clinic said.
"Unfortunately the mistake, in which the right leg was removed instead of the left, occurred as a result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances.”
The patient was reported to be suffering from many illnesses and an operation was required to amputate his left leg after the sickness affected his legs, before the tragic mistake occurred.
The hospital said that an investigation has been launched to find out what happened and the hospital will review its standards following the tragedy.
Psychological assistance has been offered to the patient and his operation to remove his left leg “is planned shortly”.
"We have to find out how this failure, this mistake could happen. I would like to apologise publicly here." Norbert Fritsch, the clinic's Medical Director, said at a news conference.
Many netizens sympathised with the elderly man and hoped that he can recover from the traumatic experience.
One user wrote, “When I had an operation on my big toe 30 years ago, the surgeon drew in black marker, a massive arrow on my leg, down past my ankle and ending up pointing to the correct toe.”
“On my other foot he drew a big X and NO!! It made me laugh then but now I think, how things have not changed for the better.”
Info via Reuters
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