Instruments found inside patients, wrong person gets surgery: Medical mishaps haunt Hong Kong public hospitals

Public hospitals reported 11 major events in the last quarter, including three cases of instruments remaining inside patients’ bodies after surgery and one case of a medical procedure being performed on the wrong person.

The surgical instruments found inside the three patients were part of a guide wire, the tip of an instrument and a U-shaped wire coating, according to the Hospital Authority’s quarterly online magazine Risk Alert, which was released yesterday.

READ MORE: A brief history of Hong Kong’s medical blunders

“Subsequent to incident reviews and analysis of root causes of these incidents, important lessons of patient safety have been identified, while recommendations have been made and shared in this publication to avoid similar events in future,” a Hospital Authority spokesman said.

The blunder involving the wrong patient happened ,in an ear, nose and throat ward when a female patient wrongly replied when another patient’s name was called out.

When the nurse asked the female patient – who was seeking help for discomfort on the right side of her throat – which side of her ear needed an injection, she told the nurse “the right side”. She repeated that in reply to a question from the doctor.