Doctors Accidentally Amputate Wrong Leg Of 82-Year-Old Patient

A hospital in Austria issued a statement Thursday saying the doctors had amputated the wrong leg of an 82-year-old patient, and called it a "tragic mistake."

The elderly patient, whose identity was not revealed, was suffering from an illness that affected his legs. He got admitted to the Freistadt Clinic after being informed his left leg required amputation. The doctors at the hospital ended up amputating his right leg, The Guardian reported.

Local reports stated the patient was asked to confirm the leg prior to the surgery Tuesday; however, his articulation was limited. The mistake came to light two days later, when the doctors were changing the bandage, local news website Heute reported.

In the statement, the hospital said, "We are deeply shocked that on Tuesday, 18 May, despite quality assurance standards, the wrong leg of an 82-year-old man … was amputated."

“Unfortunately the mistake, in which the right leg was removed instead of the left, occurred as a result of a sequence of unfortunate circumstances," the statement added, Reuters reported.

Later in the day, Norbert Fritsch, the clinic’s medical director, issued a public apology during a press conference.

"We have to find out how this failure, this mistake could happen. I would like to apologize publicly here," he said.

An investigation has been launched into the incident, and the patient has been offered psychological assistance. The elderly man will have to undergo another surgery to get his left leg amputated.

"The surgery is planned shortly," the clinic said.

Tuesday’s case of medical negligence comes less than two months after doctors at a hospital in South Africa amputated the hand of a newborn child who was admitted with diarrhea. The 3-week-old child was taken to the hospital by her parents after she fell ill. At the facility, her hand was amputated, which triggered protests from the community members who alleged negligence by staff members. An investigation was launched by police and the hospital to determine how the infant’s illness led to her losing her hand.