A patient would be anesthetized before surgery and got a vein catheter inserted. When flushed clean with saline, the syringe was incorrectly labeled – instead the patient got muscle relaxation.
– In this situation, the routines around spray size and label had not been followed. The security routine has been departed from, says Sonja Sundquist, chief physician.
The patient had to be anesthetized and intensive care. Region Västerbotten has reported the incident according to Lex Maria. The report states that if the patient did not receive treatment directly it could have lead to oxygen deficiency and in the worst case death.
The breathing muscles relax
– It could have been dangerous if you did not observe what happened. They gave muscle relaxation that causes the muscles to relax, as well as the breathing muscles. But it never got that way in this case, says Sonja Sundqvist and continues:
– It was quickly suspected that it could be that you gave the wrong syringe, you acted well and provided good and patient -safe care.
In the Västerbotten region’s notification to the Inspection for Health and Care, it appears that the syringe was incorrectly labeled, which the region has investigated. The underlying cause is “the human factor”, according to the report.