Newborn Baby's Thumb Accidentally Cut Off While Removing IV Line With Scissors In Hospital

A nurse in a state-run hospital in India was put on leave after she accidentally cut off a newborn baby's thumb while removing an intravenous line (IV Line) using scissors.

The incident took place in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Monday. According to local media reports, the prematurely born baby had congenital anomalies due to which doctors had kept her off breastfeed. The doctors had put a venflon on her left thumb and wrapped it with surgical tape to inject fluids, The Times of India reported.

One of the nurses used scissors to remove the venflon from the baby's thumb, but ended up cutting a portion of it.

The doctors at the hospital were successful in reattaching the severed portion of the thumb to its right position through surgery.

The child's father accused the hospital of negligence, and demanded strict action against the nurse. However, Dr. G Ravikumar, the dean of Thanjavur Government Medical College, said the baby shuddered while the IV was being removed, which led to the incident. Ravikumar termed it an accident, saying the nurse was one of the senior medical staff in the pediatric ward.

A panel, comprising senior doctors, has been set up to investigate the case. Necessary action will be taken based on the result of the probe, Ravikumar told local media outlet DT Next.

In a case of negligence last month, a newborn baby's foot was found being nibbled at by several rats in a government-run hospital in the country. The incident took place in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Authorities said the 18-day-old baby was in the nursery of Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital in Indore when the rats attacked him. The child's mother alleged the nurse on duty was sleeping when the incident took place. "Rats nibbled on the toe and heel of the newborn and the incident came to the fore when the baby's mother Priyanka Dam reached there to feed him,” sources told the Free Press Journal at the time.