A tube was inserted into the wrong kidney of a patient at a hospital due to a mix-up by the chief surgeon, the Hospital Authority said yesterday.
The patient was having a ureterorenoscopy - in which a fibre-optic endoscope is inserted to allow a visual check for abnormalities. His right kidney was to be examined but the procedure was carried out on his left one, the authority said.
The error was not noticed until the procedure on the left kidney was completed; the right one was then checked.
The blunder was disclosed by the authority yesterday in its newsletter. The doctor, patient and hospital were not named. The authority only identifies offending hospitals when the mistake results in serious harm or serious potential harm to a patient.
In the latest incident, the scrub nurse was aware of the mistake but failed to speak up. The newsletter did not mention any penalty or disciplinary action.
The procedure involves inserting a thin tube into the ureter, which takes urine from the kidney to the bladder, and the kidney itself.