A 72-year-old Tennessee woman, Glenda Dorton, is currently paralyzed from the chest down following an alleged medication error during a routine knee replacement surgery. This incident, which occurred on August 14, has prompted a state investigation and significant changes to safety protocols at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown.
According to FOX 17, the family of the Centerville resident stated that the error involved the administration of potassium instead of the anesthetic intended for an epidural procedure. Per PEOPLE, the hospital later clarified that four of the seven patients scheduled for joint replacement surgeries that day mistakenly received potassium phosphate instead of the intended anesthetic, mepivacaine.
