A routine knee replacement surgery at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville resulted in permanent injury for 72-year-old Glenda Dorton. During the procedure on August 14, hospital staff administered potassium instead of the intended anesthetic to her spine. The error occurred due to a medication mix-up originating in the hospital pharmacy, which affected three other patients scheduled for joint surgeries that day.
Family members report that Glenda Dorton woke up after her operation unable to feel or move her body from the sternum down. She was transferred to another facility for emergency care, where doctors attempted to treat the chemical damage by draining spinal fluid and administering high doses of steroids. Despite these efforts, she remains paralyzed at the T6 level.
Dr. Shubhada Jagasia, president and CEO of the hospital, confirmed the facility self-reported the incident to state regulators and initiated an internal investigation. While the hospital has declined to provide specifics regarding the cause of the pharmacy error or the outcomes for the other three patients, the institution claims it has implemented new safeguards to prevent future occurrences.
The family of Glenda Dorton maintains that the surgical team is not responsible for the mistake, pointing to the pharmacy as the source of the incorrect medication. They have expressed gratitude for the transparency shown by hospital administration following the event. The case remains under review as regulators look into how such a severe error reached the operating room.