The studies were conducted by UK researcher Santosh Patel, MD, an anesthesiologist at Pennine Acute NHS Trust Hospital in Oldham, England. He presented his findings at the 2012 meeting of the International Anesthesia Research Society.
Dr. Patel and his colleagues searched databases for incidents involving epidural or intrathecal injections and found two published cases of drug errors for both obstetric and non-obstetric cases, as well as 13 cases for procedures performing during or after pregnancy.
Many of the mistakes involved swapped and unlabeled or incorrectly labeled syringes, as well as mix-ups over catheters and IV lines. Four patients died due to errors with ampule mix-ups. The second study, which looked at obstetric cases and included data on labor and neonatal outcomes, showed that lack of provider education, fatigue, poor lighting and supply and storage errors could lead to failure to check drugs, ampule mix-ups, syringe mistakes and confusion over infusion bags.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.