Wrong Patient Gets Heart Procedure

[TexasStooge]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - The wrong patient received a heart catheterization at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, officials said Thursday.

Dr. Duncan Finlay, the hospital's chief executive officer, declined to say how the mistake occurred, only that it was discovered immediately after the invasive diagnostic procedure was completed Monday.

"The patient had no harm done to them," Finlay said. "But let me emphasize that any mistake of this nature is just as important as one that might have done harm.

"We all live in dread that they might happen."

The hospital is not releasing the name of the patient or the doctor due to privacy laws, but Finlay said an investigation is under way, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported.

Heart catheterization is a generally routine procedure that involves using a catheter to insert dye into arteries to detect blockages.

[coriolis]

I hope they don't send him a bill.