Surgeon operates on wrong knee at RI hospital

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Providence Journal, September 22, 2008

A surgeon at the Miriam Hospital, in Providence, RI, operated on the wrong knee of a patient undergoing elective surgery. This happened despite the hospital's recent increased focus on preventing wrong-site surgeries. Kathleen C. Hittner, hospital president and chief executive officer, told the Providence Journal that the surgical team had apparently followed the key safety protocols--including marking the correct knee and pausing to verify the site before operating--but still made the medical error. And the mistake was first noticed by the patient, when she regained consciousness.

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