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Emily Tsang

The Hospital Authority has reported 11 serious medical incidents  in public hospitals in the first quarter of this year, including five cases of surgical instruments being left inside patients’ bodies.
In one case, a 36cm-long feeding tube was left inside the abdomen of a patient. He did not know about it until he developed a fever and had an X-ray, which revealed that the tube was inside his body. It was removed through a colonoscopy, which the report described as “uneventful”.
Another case involved a piece of gauze left inside a patient’s vagina. The patient later removed it herself.

 
The HA’s quarterly report Risk Alert said the cases were a result of failing to account for all instruments when staff were changing tubes.
Without disclosing details about the patients and hospitals involved, the report recommended that medical staff ensure that all instruments are removed. It also said that an X-ray should be taken whenever staff suspect that an instrument might not have been taken out.
There were nine serious incidents in the last quarter of last year and 11 in the preceding quarter.
Other incidents involved five patient suicides and one case of maternal death, which the report concluded was linked to a rare syndrome that occurs in pregnant women who have haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, or a low blood platelet count.
In addition, 21 medication errors were reported in the first quarter, including five cases of misidentification of patients. This figure compared with 13 errors in the last quarter of 2014 and 21 cases in the preceding quarter.
Dr Raymond Wong Siu-ming, a consultant for the department of medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital advised clinical staff to be vigilant about newer drugs and understand they are high-alert medications, meaning they present an increased risk of causing significant patient harm if incorrectly used.


Five cases of surgical instruments left in patients among 11 serious medical blunders reported in Hong Kong

Staff were failing to account for all instruments after surgery, the report claimed

17 days after surgery, a patient returned for a routine X-Ray and a 2–3 mm metallic object was seen at the lower third of the tibia, thought to be the tip of the pin used for holding the trackers. Photo: The Hospital Authority


An abdominal X-ray taken for patient’s fever revealed a 36cm segment of silicone feeding tube, which had to be removed by acolonoscopy. Photo: Hospital Authority


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Hong Kong

Health & Environment