Nashville Hospital Error Paralyzes Patients After Wrong Drug Injection

A medication error at a Nashville hospital on August 14 resulted in four patients receiving a dangerous potassium compound instead of an anesthetic during routine joint replacement surgeries, leaving at least two paralyzed and prompting state investigations. The incident occurred at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown, where the hospital confirmed that its pharmacy supplied potassium phosphate instead of the intended anesthetic medication.

According to the hospital, the four patients were scheduled to receive mepivacaine, a local anesthetic. Instead, they were injected with potassium phosphate, a substance that can cause severe nerve damage and cardiac arrest if administered improperly. The hospital stated that all four patients suffered immediate adverse health reactions and required urgent medical care. One of the affected patients, 72-year-old Glenda Dorton, has been left paralyzed from the chest down following what was supposed to be a routine knee replacement. Her family reported that she woke from anesthesia with burning and itching sensations before discovering she could not feel her legs. Another patient was reportedly placed on a ventilator, and a second patient...