YNHH surgeries under scrutiny after wrong site operation

The New Haven Independent is reporting that on June 9th a car crash victim had a skeletal traction pin surgically inserted into the wrong leg at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The error was the result of poor communication between surgeons during a “handoff” of the patient and had to be corrected in another surgery. The mistake was quickly caught and reported to DPH. DPH found that the staff should have taken a “time out” to review the records and double check the planned surgery. Handoff and time out procedures at YNHH have been updated. YNHH’s spokesman says the patient was not “seriously or permanently harmed.” All surgeries at the hospital will be monitored by DPH staff for three months through Dec. 1st.
Ellen Andrews