A Rhode Island hospital has been fined $50,000 by state regulators for its third wrong-site surgery this year.

The most recent incident at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence involved an 82-year-old patient in the neurosurgical intensive care unit, where a resident physician began drilling into the wrong side of the patient's head during a bedside procedure Friday to stem internal bleeding.

This latest incident is the hospital's fourth wrong-site surgery in six years, all involving brain procedures, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

"We are extremely concerned about this continuing pattern," said Dr. David Gifford, director of the state Department of Health, in a statement. "We have not seen an adequate response in the hospital's system and protocols since the last order was issued."

After a similar error occurred earlier this year, officials ordered the hospital to overhaul its pre-surgical procedures, including having a second physician review the site for surgeries.

Since the latest incident, the hospital has begun requiring that all neurosurgical procedures have an attending physician present for the entire procedure. A "time-out" period also was established to allow providers ample time to verify the site of procedures.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 28 November 2007   

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