Cancer patient who had the WRONG body part removed in a shocking surgery blunder will undergo a third operation to repair the damage
- A patient will need a third surgery after surgeons removed his wrong body part
- He underwent colorectal surgery at Northern Beaches Hospital on May 31
- Surgeons performed a corrective surgery on the cancer patient on Friday
- Authorities are probing whether the error was due to a pathology report
A cancer patient will have to go under the knife for a third time after surgeons mistakenly removed the wrong part of his bowel.
Surgeons at Sydney’s Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) removed the wrong side of the patient’s colon during a colorectal surgery last month.
The man underwent a corrective surgery on Friday, but will need a third surgery in coming weeks to repair the damage done to his large intestine.
A cancer patient was forced to undergo a corrective operation after surgeons mistakenly removed the wrong part of his bowel (stock image)
Health authorities are inquiring whether the error was due to a pathology report supplied by a private-contracted laboratory.
Surgeons first performed a colonoscopy to remove several small polyps, a small lump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon or rectum, based on the pathology report.
One polyp had an early-stage cancer growth. But doctors ended up removing the wrong side of the colon, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
It is not clear whether the cancerous polyp has been removed in the corrective surgery.
The man will need a third surgery in coming weeks to repair the damage done (stock image)
Daily Mail Australia contacted the NBH’s external pathology contractor Australian Clinical Labs to ask whether there was an error in its report.
‘Quality patient care is at the heart of everything that we do and so it is deeply concerning that our service at the Northern Beaches Hospital in NSW was involved in an incident that has had an impact on a patient,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We are actively working with the hospital to ensure the patient is being cared for in every way possible.
‘We are also working closely with the hospital to ensure all decisions and actions that led to this incident are properly investigated.’
On Monday, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the hospital had advised NSW Health of the ‘serious event’.
‘In such situations there are investigative processes and those must proceed to their conclusion before any further comment can be made,’ Mr Hazzard said.
‘The patient’s privacy must also be respected.’
Surgeons at Northern Beaches Hospital (pictured) in Sydney performed colorectal surgery on the male patient last month
A Healthscope spokesperson said the matter is under investigation.
‘The patient and their family have been provided full disclosure and NBH is supporting their ongoing care and treatment,’ the spokesperson said.
Healthscope is a private health care provider at NBH and 42 other hospitals in Australia.
NBH, a 488-bed hospital, was opened in October last year and has since been struggling with shortage of essential drugs and medical equipment, and industrial disputes.
A parliamentary inquiry, with the power to subpoena past and present staff, is already underway regarding various issues at NBH.